Boku no Hero League Season 2
by TheFoolXXIIMaxX
Summary: Bruce and co. are back for a heated Sports Festival, and they're ready to show what they can do. But the excitement doesn't die down after the festivities, and struggles of heroism and everyday high school life are yet to come. (My Hero Academia x Justice League)
1. Heroic Debut

In our current society, 80% of the world's population possess a unique power called a 'Quirk'. With them came the creation of a once fictional profession:

 **Hero**

I had always wanted to be a hero. However, I am among the remaining 20% of the population: the Quirkless. I was at one point close to giving up my dream.

But with the help of those who guided and supported me, I was able to make my dream into a reality.

I'll say it again: This is the story of how I became one of the world's **greatest heroes.**

* * *

After the attacks on the W. A. T. C. H. Tower and USJ, the school was temporarily closed. That gave time for those unfortunately injured in the incidents to recover.

Bruce laid back in his hospital bed. Alfred-san had just finished his daily visit. He had brought him a warm bento box, much better than the bland hospital meals. Diana and Clark had visited too and brought good news. Justin had recovered from his heatstroke, Jason had only mild head trauma, and Nathaniel's ankle was just sprained. They left the hospital a while ago. Arthur, Oliver, Dinah, and Helena had woken up from their respective injuries. They were going to check out today. Bruce, however, was told he had to stay one more day. As he tried falling asleep, he had been scrolling through his video app and accidentally selected one. It was footage of All Might's debut.

Bruce blankly watched. The No. 1 hero laughed as he carried people to safety.

"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here."

He paused the video and rested his arm across his forehead. "'Because I am here.'? What a bad joke."

His thoughts drifted to his classmates. How many of them suffered horrendous injuries. How his friend had to hurt himself to defeat a villain. How he now had a scar covering his left side.

"A joke. A real shitty joke."

* * *

Class 0-JL sat in their seats. Some were empty as certain students needed to take some time recovering at home.

Zatanna turned to Jason. "Hey Blood, how's your head? I heard you had a slight concussion." The other teen turned to her. "I recovered without issues. Your concern is very appreciated."

Greg leaned over his desk. "Adams! Is your ankle alright? Ya left with it wrapped up." "Oh! It was just a mild sprain. How about you? Didn't you have bruised ribs?" the silver-haired teen replied. The cowboy smiled. "Nothin' a good couple of ice packs couldn't fix."

Don fiddled his thumbs on his desk. "It's a shame Curry, Queen, and Wayne aren't here today."

Clark tried being optimistic. "Well, when they're all better, they'll come back."

At that moment, the classroom door slid open. Bruce stood there, school briefcase slung over his shoulder, and his expression ever so neutral. He still had bandages around his head and over one eye and one his cheek.

"Good morning," he casually greeted.

"Wayne, you're back too soon!" shouted the majority of the class.

Diana called out to him, "Wayne, are you okay?"

"Can you call that remotely okay?" Hal asked as Bruce walked in.

"I'm conscious, and I can walk," Bruce said as he took his seat. "As long as those are possible, I will come to school."

"You're way too much of a pro already!" Hank commented.

Then someone else arrived. Dr. Mid-Nite strolled to the front of the room, his arm in a sling. Doctors had managed to reattach the severed limb, but they couldn't guarantee the functioning of his hand. They would have to wait until his arm healed from surgery.

He scanned the room, and he stopped at Bruce. After a few seconds, he returned his attention to the whole class. "Everyone, settle down. You can't take a break from fighting just yet."

All the teens froze up. More fighting? Were the villains attacking again?

The glare on Dr. Mid-Nite's goggles shifted to reveal one eye. "U.A.'s Sports Festival is approaching," he announced. Most of the students perked up.

"THE SPORTS FESTIVAL!" they cheered.

"Wait, Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei!" Justin called out as he raised his hand. "Is it really a good idea to have the festival right after a villain attack?"

Dr. Mid-Nite replied, "Your concerns are warranted, however, they want to show that U.A.'s crisis management system is capable of handling such an event by continuing to hold the festival. Of course, the security will be five times stronger than it was last year." He returned to addressing all his students. "We can't afford to cancel the sports festival since it is a huge chance. Top heroes and agencies will be watching for scouting purposes. Students gain more experience and popularity by joining famous hero agencies. The true beginning of your paths to go pro starts at this event. Your first chance of just three. No future heroes can miss it. So make sure to be ready and give it your all!"

"Yes, Sensei!"

* * *

As the bell rang signaling lunch, the students took a few moments to converse with each other.

"I'm totally pumped for the festival! The first step to becoming a pro!" Mari exclaimed. Justin turned to her. "I have no doubt you'll get many offers, McCabe. Your Quirk will definitely stand out." "Oh, you think so?" The blonde nodded. "Yes. Unlike your's, my Quirk isn't nearly as versatile. I probably won't even stand out." "Now, come on! Don't be sayin' somethin' like that!" Greg said from his seat on a desk. "Y'all both have pretty flashy Quirks. Me on the other hand," he activated Ironsight in one eye, "Unless they git a zoom-up, I'll go completely unnoticed." Mari thought for a bit then said, "Well, you could try finding a way to show of its ability. Though I doubt they'll let you use your guns." Greg smiled. "Then I'll just have to improvise."

Vic was still seated at his desk. "I'll have to work extra hard if I want to stand out." He tapped his temple. "Since my Quirk only affects me here, I'll have to find a way to get pros to notice me." Helena shrugged. "Knowing you, you'll definitely find some way. As for me, I need to make my Crossbow Arms look useful while not having ammo."

"You're so lucky Adams," Don said. "Your Quirk stands out on its own." Nathaniel flexed his hand. "That's really not that useful if I don't show its practicality." Dinah sighed. "Is it possible I can make my Quirk appear more than just me screaming really loud?" Hank turned to her. "At least your Quirk has visuals. Don and I are going to need to push ourselves if we want any luck at being spotted."

"Everyone's really into it. How about you, Wayne?" Clark asked. "Of course. This is an opportunity no one can afford to miss. We need to take it seriously," Bruce replied.

"Wayne, Kent…" The two boys turned to the rather tense voice and flinched a bit. Diana had a fierce grin and fire in her furrowed eyes. She was practically glowing with a burning aura. "Let's do our best at the sports festival."

"P-Prince-!" Bruce stammered. "What are you doing with your face?" asked Clark. "You've never been this intense."

Diana stomped the ground and thrusted her fist into the air. "I'm definitely going to give this my all!"

The boys, still off-put by her ferocity, weakly raised their fists as well.

"Uh, yeah!" Clark awkwardly cheered.

Diana then turned and repeated the move with their other four friends. "I'm going to do my best!" Shayera and Wally enthusiastically pumped up their fists. "Hell yeah!" the former exclaimed. "Yeah! Yeah!" the latter cheered. Hal, also off-put, raised his fist awkwardly while J'onn just raised his with a straight face.

Bruce stared at her back. _I never knew she could be like this. It makes her more… beautiful._ Bruce stiffened the second that thought finished. _T-That's normal, right? A guy can think a female friend is beautiful. Normal, completely normal!_

"Completely normal!" Bruce said aloud as he brought his hands to slap across his cheeks. Clark flinched at the sharp sound and eyed his friend. "Urm, Wayne…?"

"Yes?" came the fast answer and Bruce snapped his head towards Clark. He had two clear red marks of his hands plastered on his pale face.

"Uh… nevermind…"

* * *

Ochaco had just finished telling Tenya and Deku that she was determined to become a hero to make money and support her family. She didn't expect that anyone else had been listening.

"So you have that same motivation as me. I feel a little better now," a voice said from nearby. The trio turned to see some students they recognized from Class 0-JL. The one who has spoken was the silver-skinned one with blank eyes. One JL student, who was wearing a cowboy hat, asked, "You're becomin' a hero ta make money, too, Adams?" The silver-haired teen nodded. "Yeah. My parents are veterans, and that makes it harder for them to find work," he solemnly said. "So I'm planning to make money so they can have an easy life."

Ochaco smiled and practically bounced over to him. "That's great! It's not so embarrassing when there are others with the same motive." She calmed down a little and introduced herself. "My name is Ochaco Uraraka, pleased to meet you all!" Her friends followed. "Ah, I'm Izuku Midoriya, nice to meet you." "I am Tenya Iida, Class 1-A's representative. It's nice to make your acquaintance."

Now it was the JL students turn. "Nathaniel Adams, 0-JL's representative." "Name's Greg Saunders. Nice ta meet y'all," the cowboy said. "I'm Clark Kent," introduced one boy. "Hi, my name's Diana Prince." "... Bruce Wayne."

At the last name, Ochaco and Tenya stared at the other teen. Izuku, however, had already recognized him. He stared at the bandages he had. He remembered how All Might's police friend told them that Class 0-JL had been attacked and that somewhere sent to the ICU. He remembered All Might's reaction, his utter regret for not saving the class. There was an uncomfortable tug in his stomach. Like he should understand something but couldn't... or just couldn't acknowledge he did.

"I must say, you and Uraraka both have very noble goals to becoming heroes! Bravo! Bravo!" Tenya praised as he zealously clapped. Ochaco awkwardly laughed while Nathaniel actually looked a bit uneasy. "Your enthusiasm is appreciated. Now please calm down."

"HAHAHA!" Everyone turned to the direction of the laugh. They saw All Might peeking around the corner. "Here you are, Young Midoriya!"

"All Might! Is something the matter?" Deku asked. The other teens just stared at the No. 1 hero. "Lunch," the blonde said as he held up a bento. "Want to eat together?"

 _EHH!?_ the 0-JL students collectively thought.

Izuku looked to Tenya who gave a nod of approval. "I'd love to."

"Great!" All Might felt a chill down his spine. He soon found the source. Bruce was giving him a cold glare. The student's icy blue eye burned, and shadows surrounded it. The hero's heart sunk when he saw the bandages on the boy's face. He quickly left with Deku. He had to talk with his successor, and he felt that talking with Young Wayne would just upset him more.

* * *

The students all decided to walk to the cafeteria together.

"So why did All Might want to go off with your friend?" Diana asked Ochaco as they waited in line. "I'm not to sure," the brunette replied. "I heard during the attack on the USJ, he jumped in to help. Perhaps it's about that?" Tenya suggested. "Also remember what Asui said before we entered the building?" Ochaco lit up. "Oh yeah! She said his Quirk was similar to All Might's!" "A Quirk like All Might's? That's so awesome!" Clark exclaimed. Tenya nodded. "Yes, maybe All Might has taken a liking to him because of that."

That got the wheels turning in Bruce's head. _Izuku Midoriya… All Might…_

As the teens carried their lunches to a table, Bruce sensed a presence behind him. He turned and was met with a mummy. "Aizawa-sensei?"

"Wayne, you wouldn't mind spending lunchtime with me? There's something we need to discuss." Bruce looked to Diana and Clark. They smiled and nodded. "Alright. Where are we going?"

* * *

Bruce was a bit surprised to see Dr. Mid-Nite seated on the couch in the lounge. Bruce took a seat on the lone stool across that table. Aizawa closed the door and then sat next to the other pro hero.

"Aizawa-sensei? Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei? What is it you wanted to talk about?" The two men exchanged glances. "First we felt that you shouldn't have come to school today. You haven't fully recovered from your injuries," Dr. Mid-Nite said. Bruce sat there silently then said, "Not to be rude but coming from you two, that sounds kind of hypocritical." His teachers just sat there, trying not to look at each others' casts. "Wayne, I am both proud of you and upset with you," Aizawa said. The teen was taken aback. What had he done wrong?

"We're talking about what you did at the W. A. T. C. H. Tower. Miss America told me, and I told Eraserhead," Dr. Mid-Nite said.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked.

"You used your body as a shield for Kent," his homeroom teacher said.

Bruce's thoughts immediately went to the scar on his left side. His hands tightened on his knees. "Well, everything turned out fine, right? I'm all better now, so-"

"Everything isn't fine," Aizawa cut in. "You had to get surgery, and you now have a permanent scar." Bruce could hear the rise in Aizawa's voice. "You could have been killed."

"If I didn't shield him, Kent would have been killed!" Bruce protested.

"Was there nothing else you could've done?" Dr. Mid-Nite asked.

"There was no time to-"

"You had no time to grab him?" Aizawa interrupted. "You had no time to push him out of the way?"

Bruce was stunned into silence.

"Wayne, I understand that you care about and want to protect others. But your first instinct shouldn't be sacrificing your life."

Bruce slowly looked to the ground. He… he had done the right thing, right? He had protected his friend. Sure, it resulted in him getting a hole in his side, but he was alive. So was Clark. What he did… it was the right thing… right?

"Wayne." He looked up at Dr. Mid-Nite. "You're a very kind person, but your willingness to sacrifice yourself is dangerous. Your life is as valuable as any other person's. You should protect it as well."

Bruce just remained silent.

"A lot of people would be hurt if you were gone," Aizawa said. "Please just…" he took a deep breath and exhaled. "Promise that you won't… hurt yourself like that."

Bruce stared. He… hadn't thought about that. The consequences of his action. What if he had died? How would that affect Clark? Affect Aizawa-sensei? Affect Alfred-san? He had been so hasty that he didn't think a move through. Bruce instantly felt low.

The teen slowly nodded. "Okay… I promise I won't do anything like that again."

However, in the back of his mind, Bruce wasn't sure if he could keep that promise.

* * *

Bruce was casually walking down a hall. It was nearing the end of the day. He kept thinking about his conversation with his teachers.

"A hero… who protects others without risk to themselves," he murmured, "Is such a thing possible?"

Bruce then lifted his head and caught a curious sight. There was a crowd outside Class 1-A. He knew none of them were from the class. He caught sight of a blonde, the one who tried attacking Clark, standing at the door and glaring at someone. Bruce scowled and turned to walk away. Whatever was going on wasn't his problem, so that guy could deal with it on his own.

"-Don't get too carried away just because you got some action. I'll knock you down a peg."

...What. The. **Hell?**

Bruce clenched his teeth and fists. Such impudence…

"I expected better from U.A. students. Clearly, my expectations were out of proportion." Bruce marched over to the crowd. Most turned to face him while others flinched and turned away. The boy he was able to pinpoint as the ringleader gave him a side glance. Bruce stopped a few feet away. His scowl was dark, and his eye was piercing like an ice dagger.

"Do you really think that being attacked and almost killed is something to be proud of? That somehow it is an achievement to go through an experience of not knowing if you, your classmates, or teachers would survive?"

The hall was completely silent. Bruce noticed several students eyeing his bandages. He made eye contact with the ringleader. He turned his head a little so the purple-haired teen knew that was was next was directed at him.

"We are not here to play hero; this isn't some childish show or competition. We are here to train for the most life-threatening job, one about saving people and making society better. You'd be smart to get rid of such an idiotic idea and remember why you're standing in this building to begin with." He returned to addressing the whole crowd. "All of you should do as such. Now leave before I report you all for harassing your schoolmates."

It was quiet before someone piped up, "Who do you think you are, bossing us around? What gives you a say in this?"

Bruce's scowl deepened. "I 'get a say' because I'm in the other class that was attacked." Several students noticeably flinched. "Class 0-JL's Vice Representative: Bruce Wayne."

The crowd basically evaporated. Bruce waited and watched as the last few students left. He made a brief second of eye contact with the purple-haired teen before he disappeared behind a corner. Once the crowd was gone, Bruce sighed. "God, I hate having to use my name as a means of intimidation."

"The fuck Rich Boy?! Where do you get off? This had nothing to do with you!" the spiky blonde shouted.

"Hey, hey Bakugo! Why are you going off on him? He got them all to leave," a voice said from inside the classroom.

Bruce glared at Bakugo. "I acted on basic human decency. Ever hear of it?"

 _Sassy!_ Izuku, Ochaco, and Tenya all thought.

Bakugo growled. "You sonuvabitch! I'll-!"

Bruce dismissively shooed a hand at the blonde. "Save it for the sports festival. I've got better things to do right now than dealing with one of your outbursts." Everyone's jaws dropped. This guy either had no fear or no self-preservation instincts.

Bakugo was now snarling. "Why you…"

"K-Kacchan! You really shouldn't start a fight," Izuku called out.

 _Kacchan?_ Bruce quirked an eyebrow. _A nickname of sorts? Do these two have a history?_

"Shut up, Deku! You don't tell me what to do!" the blonde snapped.

Now Bruce looked at Izuku. "'Deku'?" The green-haired boy was a bit frantic. "Ah, ah! Well, you see… Deku is-"

"I get it," Bruce said, cutting Izuku off. "It's a play on 'dekiru', meant to give the impression of 'I can do it'. I have to admit I kinda like it."

Deku was a bit bewildered. "Ah, y-yeah! Exactly!" Bakugo looked near ready to erupt. He gave a harsh "Tch!" and then shoved past Bruce.

"Thank you for your assistance! I apologize for Bakugo's behavior," said Tenya.

"It's fine," Bruce said. "But don't take this the wrong way. I stood up for you guys because of my morals not because I want to be your friend." That statement took everyone by surprise. Bruce continued, "Right now isn't the time for that. All that matters right now is reaching the top." Bruce then turned and walked away.

"Damn! Wayne's words are simply manly!" Eijiro said.

Izuku stood there and thought of All Might's words.

 _"There are those who always aim for the top and those who don't."_

He then thought how determined Kacchan was, how determined Tenya and Ochaco were, and the determination Bruce just demonstrated.

Izuku straightened up. _"Remember how you felt back on the beach park."_

* * *

Bruce delivered a roundhouse kick to the punching bag. He then immediately shifted to unleash a flurry of hard jabs before following with another kick. A timer went off. Bruce somersaulted backward and launched off the ground.

The teen grasped the gymnastics rings and kept his body and arms vertically straight. He then performed two flips and then two reverses. Bruce then repositioned himself straight again only this time he was upside down. He then did four flips again. He continued to repeat until the timer went off again. With a final flip, Bruce went into the air.

As he briefly uncurled at the peak of the flip, Bruce had three metal bats ready. He threw them as he passed the targets. They joined the many others that were embedded though they were a bit off the center. Bruce "Tch!"-ed. He went in for the landing but stumbled and fell a bit backward. Bruce sighed. He then sat on a bench and began bench pressing.

"Wayne." He glanced to the side and saw Aizawa. "Aizawa-sensei. I'm almost done with this round. I just have push-ups, sit-ups, and balance beam practice after this."

"Wayne. Water break. Now." There was no room for arguing in his teacher's voice. The teen huffed, but secured the barbell and sat up. He paused the timer on his waistband as he walked over to a bottle. He took a quick swig from it.

"Wayne. More." The teen nearly pouted. However, he chugged down half the bottle. "Aizawa-sensei, may I return to my workout now?"

"No, now you're going to take a 30-minute break," his teacher said. "WHAA!?" Bruce exclaimed. "You've doubled the laps you usually run, and you're spending double the amount of time usually meant for the other segments."

"But Sensei, I need to increase the difficulty to prepare myself for the sports festival," the teen protested.

"Wayne, you've already repeated 15 times!"

"... Actually, this was just my 13th repeat."

"Wayne…"

"Okay fine! I'll take a break," the teen said. He left to fill up his water bottle. Aizawa watched after him.

 _Wayne, I just don't want you hurting yourself again._ The hero caught a peek of his student's scar through his sweat-soaked tanktop.

 _Never again_.

* * *

Before anyone knew it, it was time. The U.A. Sports Festival had arrived.

Class 0-JL sat in their waiting room, having already changed into their gym uniforms.

"So what do you think the first round will be?" Wally asked excitedly. He was practically bouncing in his seat.

"Hopefully it isn't something lame like tug-of-war we did back in primary school," Shayera said. She had an aggressive grin.

"Well whatever it is, we'll just have to deal with it as it comes," Hal said.

Bruce and Clark were standing next to each other nearby. "It's almost time for us to enter the stadium. I've got butterflies in my stomach. Any good ideas on how to get them out?" Clark jokingly asked.

"Kent. I can't help but think that you're stronger than me," Bruce said. Clark looked at his friend surprised. "I witnessed the full extent of what you're capable of. No doubt I'm next to nothing compared to you."

Clark nervously brought up his hands. "Hey, you shouldn't talk so low about yours-"

"But," Clark stopped talking, "I'm not going to let that make me fall behind." Bruce remembered his words to Aizawa-sensei.

 _"I want to be the next No. 1 hero!"_

"I can't allow myself to fall short. So Kent," Bruce turned to his friend. "I'm going to make it to the top. Even if it means beating you."

All their classmates were watching. They were stunned by the declaration. So was Clark. Then his expression morphed to an aggressive grin.

"How fitting. Considering I was worried about you the most in this competition. Guess we'll have to see at the end, right?" He brought his fist up.

"Yes, we'll see," Bruce responded as he bumped the back on his fist to Clark's.

* * *

Bruce's eye twitched as he waited for the cue along with his classmates.

Present Mic's enthusiastic announcement style irked him. He knew the Voice Hero was a decent guy but still couldn't understand how Aizawa was friends with him. They were polar opposites. _Then again, I'm friends with West…_

Still, he never liked the celebrity side of heroism or the heroes who embraced it.

"Now entering: the first-year students!"

Alright! Here it goes! He and the others walked to the entrance. The cheering of the crowd grew louder and louder.

 _I have to work harder to make up for what I lack. I will not let that effort add up to me being another hero in the crowd._

He stepped into the light.

 _Think of this… as my heroic debut_!

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

It's time for the first round of the festival.

What is in store for us?

 **Next time:** Obstacles Standing Before Me

Let's begin!

* * *

 **Hey, happy holidays everyone! I merrily give this continuation to you all as a gift!**


	2. Obstacles Standing Before Me

Class 0-JL walked onto the field. The crowd cheered wildly.

"They also overcame an enemy assault with their sheer wills of steel! Hero course, Class 0-JL! And it would appear there are a couple of superstars among these new stars!"

The screen switched and divided to zoom in on Bruce and Oliver.

"The two youngest billionaires in the world: Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen!"

Bruce groaned at the increase in the crowd's volume while Oliver's grin broadened.

The class took their position in front of the stage. The other hero course, general studies, support course, and business course classes were called. Bruce quickly noticed the purple-haired teen coming out with the other general department students. Once everyone was in place, the referee announced it was time for the player pledge.

Justin made a face. "Is it really appropriate for the R-Rated Hero to be at a high school?"

"I approve!" Hal said with a thumbs-up. J'onn glanced at him blankly. "Of course you would Jordan."

Midnight cracked her flog whip. "Representing the students is Clark Kent from Class 0-JL!"

"WHAAA!?" the teen exclaimed. He shakingly pointed to himself. "M-M-Me!?"

Bruce glanced at him. "Well, you did finish first in the entrance exam."

"B-B-But I've never given a speech in front of such a huge audience!" Clark exclaimed.

"You'll be fine. Just get up there. People are waiting."

Clark swallowed and slowly walked to the stage stairs. He could hear the whispered complaints about how it just had to be a hero course student giving the pledge. He began to sweat a bit.

Clark nervously made his way to the mic. "Uh, I suppose I should say I'm going to do my best and then wish everyone luck, but... I think you'd all expect more." He gave a shaky smile. He glanced over the crowd and saw the lackluster expressions of the other classes, even some hero course students. That caused something in Clark to shift, and his smile fell. "It would seem you all need more." The change in his tone from meek to serious caught many off-guard. He then grabbed the mic. "I came to U.A. because I have a goal. To become a hero that protects the peace and punishes those who disturb it." Clark pulled the mic from the stand and turned to the other students. "That is my dream, and I'm going to use it to motivate myself here and beyond!" He pointed to the crowd. "All of you have dreams, too. They're why you're here, and why you should fight today! So everyone, come at me with all you've got!" Clark's eyes were blazing, and he flashed a challenging smile. "Because I plan on making sure no one gets in my way."

The entire stadium roared. The students cheered, pumped up now with excitement and determination. Bruce was still silent, and his neutral expression morphed into an aggressive smirk. "That's what I expected."

Clark approached his classmates again and immediately breathed out a sigh of relief. "It's over. I hope I never have to do something like that again." Bruce's smirk softened to a more playful one, and he glanced at his friend. "See? It wasn't so bad." Clark gave him a weak glare.

"What an inspiring speech! It's gotten everyone fired up for the first game!" Midnight said. The screen behind popped up to show what the first round would be. "This year it's... an obstacle race!"

"You will all participate in this race. It will cover the outer circumference of the stadium which is around four kilometers. As long as you stay on course, you are free to do whatever you want! Now, places everyone!"

The students all made their way to the exit. The lights began counting down. Bruce looked among his classmates. I'm nowhere near their levels. I likely never will be. So... I have to push myself beyond my limits!

All the lights darkened. "Start!"

There was a surge forward as everyone began running.

* * *

"Here it goes everyone, the play-by-play! Are you ready, Mummy Man?" Present Mic asked Aizawa. "You're the one who forced me here," he replied. Mic then turned to the third commentator. "You ready, Owl Man?" "Can't say, since you just dragged me up here," Dr. Mid-Nite answered. The pro hero turned back to the field. "The struggle starts now."

* * *

 **Students were squashed together and jostling each other. Bruce was near the back and was able to examine the narrow hallway.**

"I see... from the very beginning, obstacles started." Bruce's eyes darted between the walls. He then backed up so he was free of the crowd. He then crouched and leaped into the hallway. His feet planted against the wall and launched off to the opposite side. He zig-zagged between them until he finally jumped out into the open. He rolled on the ground and took off running.

"Wow! Class 0-JL's Bruce Wayne is the first one out!"

His classmates weren't far behind. Clark, Shayera, and Hal lifted into the air and zoomed to the exit. Several students felt a strange chill as if someone unseen was walking through them. Soon Clark, Shayera, Hal, and J'onn were running out.

"Let's go!"

"You're not getting that much of a headstart, Wayne!" Clark called out.

There was a sudden drop in temperature, and Bruce glanced over his shoulder to see the exit and much of the ground encased in ice. Many students' feet were stuck, and he could see members of Class 0-JL struggling to keep their balance. He noticed the ice was originating from a guy with half-white, half-red hair. _If I remember correctly, that's the No. 2 hero's son. An ice Quirk, though?_ Bruce then quickly noticed another student. He was plucking purple balls off his head and throwing them on the ground. He then bounced off them and was heading straight for Bruce.

"Ha! I've caught up with you! Now I'll unleash my special attack! Gra-!"

Something rammed into the short boy, and Bruce just watched as he arched in the air.

"So our first obstacle is this?" Bruce turned his attention to the numerous green robots in front of him." The faux villains from the entrance exam?"

"Here's where it all starts! With the first barrier... Robo Inferno!" Present Mic announced.

"They should've used something all of us haven't seen," said Bruce.

"Agreed." Bruce looked to his side and saw the white-and-red-haired boy. He could now see his eyes were different colors, and he had a burn scar over his left one. Bruce could see ice forming at his feet and stepped back.

Ice burst forward and almost encased the entire zero-pointer reaching for them. The other teen breathed out some mist. "Impressive," Bruce said. The teen glanced at him. "I don't need your compliments." Then he ran ahead.

"He stopped them. Let's go!"

"I wouldn't do that," Bruce calmly said as students rushed past him. The ice cracked and shattered. The robot fell forward and crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and wind. "He froze it when it was unbalanced," he said as his hair was blown back.

"There are people trapped under there!" someone screamed in a panic.

At the top, the metal cracked before shattering. "Damn you Todoroki! If it hadn't been me, someone could've died!" Eijiro exclaimed. Then metal near him also shattered. "Damn that Class 1-A bastard! If it hadn't been me, someone could've died!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed. They then felt a shaking feeling and swore the head of the robot was lifting a bit.

On the ground, the students watched in shock as the zero-pointer's head rose to reveal Clark holding it up with one arm.

"Ah, I was going to save the other two, but they got out just fine," he said with a smile. He casually walked out from under the robot and dropped it, kicking up another wave of dirt and wind. The students were still stunned. This guy didn't have a single scratch on him. He only had dirt smudges on his skin and clothes.

"Well... see ya!" Clark crouched and leaped over the robot's head.

"Something tells me that guy's Quirk is top notch," Denki nervously murmured. There was a whizzing sound and then metal connecting with metal. Bruce had fired a grapple at the top of the fallen robot. As he reeled himself up, they could clearly see his yellow utility belt.

"Where'd he pull that from?" Hal asked.

"Don't know, but I'm off! Can't let them get too far ahead!" Wally exclaimed before becoming a blur.

"I'm not getting left behind!" Shayera spread her wings and soared over the fallen zero-pointer.

 **Shayera Hol**

 **Quirk: Hawk**

 **She has the wings and internal anatomy of a hawk.**

 **Plus her physical abilities like strength are equivalent to a hawk's.**

An explosion rang out from the crowd, and Bakugo was flying over the fallen obstacle. "Like I'd let some extras get ahead of me!" Then he heard what sounded like more explosions and glanced to see the silver Class 0-JL student. He had blue, red-speckled energy emitting from his hands and was also propelling himself in the air.

"Both 1-A's Bakugo and 0-JL's Adams take off! Since the bottom's blocked, they're going overhead!"

Bakugo snarled. "The fuck are you doing, Blind Boy? Don't fucking copy me!" Nathaniel glared at him. "I'm not blind! My eyes are just white!" He aimed his hand and fired off an explosion at Bakugo. The blonde managed to dodge but was thrown off course, and Nathaniel went ahead.

"Damn him...!" Bakugo growled as he landed on a zero-pointer.

Sero and Fumikage suddenly appeared, using their Quirks to scale the robot.

"You're not the only one who can get around!" exclaimed Sero.

Just then red arms rushed past them and caused them to go off course. "Sorry Fumikage," Jason called over his shoulder, "But I stole your idea to move forward."

"It cannot be helped," the bird-headed teen replied. "However, I will not allow you to have an easy victory," he said as he chased after the other teen.

As all the students moved forward, smaller but still large robots confronted them. The Class 1-A students didn't hesitate to take them out. After what they went through, faux villains didn't frighten them. But they weren't the only ones ahead.

Izuku noticed a blonde boy from Class 0-JL. He was carrying a piece of green plating in one hand and a broken metal rod in the other. _Could he be using them for protection, too?_ he thought glancing at the robot armor piece the other teen was carrying. The blonde ran at two robots and in a flash of light, they were cut diagonally across the middle. The boy stood behind their broken bodies with an intricate shield and sword in his possession.

"WHAA? Where'd he get those?!" Deku gaped.

 **Justin Sir**

 **Quirk: Holy Conjure**

 **He can create a sword and shield**

 **with his left and right hand respectively.**

 **The transformation only works on metal pieces**

 **that are** **approximately** **the right size and lasts 10 minutes.**

Greg had sizable pebbles in his hands. He activated Ironsight and focused on the robots heading for him. He fired pebbles into openings of the robots' armor with his thumb. As they reached for him, they froze and twitched with electricity before collapsing. Greg ran past, and his iris returned to normal. "These hunks a metal are just things ta beat. Once ya realize that, openings pop up."

Zatanna dodged left and right. When three faux villains rushed her, she shouted, "Kaerb nwod won!" The robots all fell apart, and she hopped over the pieces.

 **Zatanna Zatara**

 **Quirk: Backwards Incantation**

 **She can affect her surroundings by talking backward.**

 **Anything or anyone in her voice range can be affected.**

A hypersonic scream rang out across the field as Dinah unleashed it on several robots.

"Hey, hey! Now that's a Quirk I can relate to!" Present Mic exclaimed.

 **Dinah Drake**

 **Quirk: Canary Cry**

 **She can release a super loud scream.**

 **She can adjust the volume of her scream,**

 **but too loud can exhaust her vocal cords.**

Vic had grabbed a hold of some wiring from a fallen robot. "With enough pressure, I can use it as a garrote to cut others down... It will work, the thickness won't hinder it." Vic ran at a faux villain and threw the wiring around its midsection. With a firm yank, the bot snapped in half. "See? It worked just fine," he said as he ran forward.

Bruce used his grapple to wrap around one robot's neck. He tugged and decapitated it. Clark and Diana were a bit ahead of him, taking out robots with punches and kicks. The faux villains in front of J'onn suddenly floated up and were thrown into others. Wally simply ran by them and dodged. Bruce then saw more zero-pointers approaching. "Seems like they're the lost ones," he said.

Deku also screeched to a halt. _Just past these is another obstacle._ He then saw Momo had opened up her top and created a cannon. "This will be a piece of cake," she said as she aimed. Then a giant green baseball bat materialized. Everyone locked onto the figure floating in front of the four zero-pointers.

"HOOOME! RUUN!" Hal shouted as he swung the bat. It crashed into their heads one by one, and they collapsed. The bat dissipated, and Hal floated down. "Piece of cake," he said.

 **Hal Jordan**

 **Quirk: Willpower**

 **He can create "solid holograms" of anything he wants.**

 **As long as he's got will, his Quirk will work.**

The students were slackjawed. Momo stared in disbelief. "He... took them out so easily..." She looked down at her cannon. _He managed to create something so large with no ill side-effects. If he wanted to, he could create basically anything with no restraints._ "His Quirk... is a better version of mine," she softly said.

"Class 0-JL is pulling ahead! How do you feel about that, Doctor?" Present Mic asked Dr. Mid-Nite. "I expect them to have more distance between everyone else," the hero said. "And how do you feel about 1-A's close second position, Eraser?" Mic asked Aizawa. "What are those idiots doing?" he growled. However, he was happy on the inside that Wayne was keeping up with his classmates.

"Well, that barrier was just the first! Let's see how they fare against the second one..."

The students stared down the chasm of pillars and ropes.

"... The Fall!"

"When did they have time to make this?" Ochaco questioned.

"If we fall, we're out," Mina said as she peered all the way down.

"Kero. Guess we'll have to be fast on these tightropes," commented Tsuyu.

The girls then noticed two students doing leg stretches. One was the guy who gave the student pledge and the other was one of his classmates.

"Ready?" Clark asked. He stood up and stretched his back.

"Uh-huh," Diana replied as she stood up too.

They both crouched low and with mighty leaps, flew over much of the chasm. They each landed on separate pillars and repeated their leaps. The three girls along with the other stared after them.

Then Ochaco noticed Bruce walking up near the edge. He aimed and fired a grapple at a pillar.

"Hey, wait! It's okay to bring in items?" Mina asked. Bruce looked at her blankly. "Other courses are allowed to be equipped in order to level out with the hero course's training. Because of my useless Quirk, I've been granted permission to use equipment as long as they're my own inventions." He then reeled himself away while retaining his blank expression.

Mina pouted. "That's some misplaced equality!"

Another pink-haired girl equipped head-to-toe began giggling. "What he said is true! Now is the time to show off my super cute babies!" she exclaimed. She fired a cable from her harness and swung away. That spurred the other students to start moving. Once again JL students pulled ahead. Shayera simply flew over the barrier. Hal created green platforms he could run across and made sure they disappeared behind him. Don and Hank were working in tandem. Hank threw Don who safely landed on a pillar. With a few leaps, he made his way to his brother. Hank then landed on Don's interlocked hands and was launched a further distance than his usual leap. Don then leaped over to Hank and was launched from his hands. They repeated this over and over.

"Check that out! The Hall bros, Hank and Don, are working as a dynamic duo to cross the Fall!"

Despite the cheering of the crowd at the brothers' performance, Dr. Mid-Nite's frown deepened.

"This isn't going to work out..." he murmured.

Tenya watched as his classmates and schoolmates went ahead. He began focusing energy to his engines. _My brother is definitely watching. I can't let him see me as uncool!_

"So your Quirk is speed-related, too," a voice said. Tenya turned around to see a 0-JL student. The little redhead with big green eyes. "Your's looks so much cooler than mine. You've got engines in your legs!" Tenya felt some pride building up in him. "Well, I should get going! I won't distract you either!" The redhead took off in a blur... backward. The bespectacled teen stared in confusion at the action. Then there was a burst of wind as the other teen ran up and leaped right off the edge. He landed with a skid and backed up before taking another. As he sailed through the air, lightning-like energy crackled around his legs.

"There goes Wally West! As expected of the Lightning Run Hero: The Flash's nephew, even if they aren't related by blood!"

Iida watched the redhead go. "His uncle and my brother are friendly rivals." He quickly kicked into gear. "And I can't get left in the dust by him!"

Todoroki used his ice to slide across a tightrope. He immediately took off running when he reached the end.

"The leader of the pack is easily-!" Present Mic's announcement was cut short when two figures landed in front of Shoto, kicking up clouds of dirt. The teen used his arms to shield his face. When he lowered them, Clark and Diana were already running ahead. His lips thinned and then a shadow flew over him. Wally took off as soon as his feet touched the ground, the resulting blur zooming between his classmates. Shoto ran forward and created ice to slide in between Clark and Diana. He hated to admit it, but there was no way for him to catch up with the speedy redhead. Next chance he got, he would freeze his legs.

Meanwhile Bakugo cursed as he pushed his explosions further to speed up. "Dammit, I'm not letting any of you stay ahead of me!" Then something flew past him, startling him off course. Nathaniel continued forward, propelled with the radiation exploding from his hands and feet. Bakugo's eyes burned, and his teeth clenched. "You bastard...!" he screamed as he unleashed bigger explosions. Nathaniel peeked out of the corner of his eye to see the blonde heading straight forward. He glared, annoyed.

Bakugo rocketed at the other teen. "I'll teach you to pick a fight with me!" He thrust his hand forward and fired. However, the explosion only hit open air. At the right moment, Nathaniel deactivated Quantum Field and allowed himself to fall below Bakugo's strike.

"I wasn't aiming for a fight, but since you're here-!" Nathaniel delivered a powerful uppercut to the blonde's jaw. The punch stunned Bakugo so much, his explosions stopped, and he began falling to the ground. Meanwhile, Nathaniel activated his Quirk and allowed radiation to propel him again. Bakugo continued rolling to the ground with his eyes still white.

"Whoa! Adams lands a killer punch on Bakugo! He might be out cold! He's uh... getting really close to the ground!"

Then when he was just a few inches from hitting the ground, Bakugo's irises returned, and he reactivated his Quirk. He quickly shot up into the air and began pursuing the students ahead.

"Damn you!"

"Bakugo regains conscious and is hot on everyone's trail!"

Soon all the students made it past the Fall. Bruce pushed himself to run and pulled ahead of many. _Don't fall behind, don't fall behind!_ Finally, they all reached the third and last obstacle.

"Now, see if you can pass the final barrier: a minefield! Since this is a game, the mines aren't that powerful, but they definitely enough to make you wet your pants!"

"That depends on the person," both Aizawa and Dr. Mid-Nite said.

Bruce stared ahead as many students in front of him were blown away by mines. _I see. This is meant to give those in the lead a disadvantage._ He surveyed the scene in front of him. His eyes trailed the terrain, connecting between small clear spots throughout the minefield. They were too far apart to jump between, at least jump normally.

"Let's see if this works." Bruce removed something from his utility belt. With a flick of his wrist, the collapsible bo staff fully formed. He backed up then ran. He drove the staff into the ground and vaulted over a good amount of mines. He landed in a clearing then made a quick mapping of the path to the next one. He ran and used his staff to vault again. As he continued his strategy, Bruce managed to catch glances at his classmates. Wally had to slow down and carefully walk since his super speed could set off multiple mines and mess him up. Clark and Diana could no longer leap since they could either land on a bunch of mines or the shockwave of their landing could set off any nearby. Bruce wondered why Clark didn't just fly. That ability was either limited or he wanted a challenge. He vaulted over another distance of mines. This quick method and his avoidance of setting off any explosions allowed Bruce to slowly, but surely approach those in the lead. The only Class 0-JL students ahead of him were Shayera and Nathaniel.

Shayera grinned and beat her wings harder. Just a little further. Her breaks between flights had prevented her from taking first place. But now she had enough to push past Nathaniel and then the ice guy in the lead.

"Outta my way, Chicken Wings!"

"Wha-!?"

Bakugo blasted past Shayera, ruffling her feathers and sending her wildly flapping. Bakugo charged at Nathaniel and grabbed his ankle, eliciting a gasp. "This is for that sucker punch, you fucker!" The blonde swung the other teen around and sent him flying into Shayera, who was still too startled to dodge. They crashed into the ground, and a pink explosion rang out.

Bakugo caught up with Todoroki. "Don't go declaring war on the wrong people, Icy-Hot!" He aimed an explosion at Shoto, and he dodged. Shoto grabbed Bakugo's arm and froze it a bit, but Bakugo managed to jerk it away.

"It looks like blows are being thrown for first place!" Present Mic said while the two exchanged attacks. "Can they stay in the lead while trying to get each other down?"

Then Shoto and Bakugo felt something wrap around their waists. They felt the sensation of being pulled back. The two looked to see Bruce heading straight towards them, pulling them back while simultaneously pulling himself forward with his grapples.

"You two! You both almost hurt my best friend. Whether it was intentional or not is irrelevant!" Bruce flew between them while tossing them back. "Suffer the consequences!" Bakugo and Shoto fell on clusters of mines and the explosions flung them to the sides.

"Ohh! We've got a new lead!"

Bruce ran, never looking back. _I'm in first place now. Can't lose it!_

"YOU FUCKING RICH BOY!" Bakugo screamed as he rocketed after Bruce. Shoto also regained his footing and created an ice path to run on. _This will make it easier for those behind, but I can't focus on that now!_

Bruce glanced over his shoulders as they began gaining on him. He readied three explosive bats in each hand. He quickly spun around and threw them. Bruce continued to run as the bats made contact with the ground and blew up, starting a chain reaction. Mine after mine off, blowing Bakugo back and forced Shoto to abandon his ice path.

 _That will give me some time. Got to keep this lead!_

Suddenly, Bruce heard a loud "BOOM!" and felt both the raging winds and vibrations through the ground. He paused and turned to see a giant explosion. It was so large, he knew it wasn't just one mine.

 _What happened back there?_

Then he saw something shot out of the pink cloud and head straight to the front. Bruce squinted at it.

 _Wait... is that-!_

"Class 1-A's Midoriya is in hot pursuit now!"

Bruce broke from his stupor and began running again with his mind still reeling.

 _He used that metal from a robot as a board and used the explosion of the mines to propel himself over the minefield. Judging from the size and force, Midoriya must have gathered many and detonated all of them at once!_

"Midoriya's past Todoroki and Bakugo and heading straight for Wayne!"

 _That's to be expected. But judging from his trajectory and speed is started out with, he won't reach me. Not as long as I keep up this pace._

Then he heard and felt the blast of more explosions. Bruce glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Izuku flying right at him. He barely let out a confused "Huh!?" when the green-haired teen slammed into his back, and Bruce faceplanted the ground. He then felt Izuku quickly roll off him. Bruce shot up and saw the other teen running ahead. Bruce bared his teeth and took off after him.

"Midoriya managed to knock Wayne down and take the lead! But Wayne's already back on his feet and Bakugo and Todoroki aren't far behind! The Class 1-A students are amazing! And maybe we've found the top student of Class 0-JL!"

"Don't say something so presumptuous," Dr. Mid-Nite said.

Soon all four boys entered the tunnel leading back to the stadium. Since there were no cameras in there, the audience had to wait in suspense. The first one out would be the winner of the first game of the Sports Festival. And that person was...

"Izuku Midoriya takes first place!"

The crowd went wild and confetti flew.

Bruce ran in just behind and stopped to catch his breath. _Damn, so close... I ended getting in second place!_ His fists clenched at his sides. _I've already fallen behind! I can't let that continue._

The other students caught up and the results were in.

1\. Izuku Midoriya

2\. Bruce Wayne

3\. Shoto Todoroki

4\. Katsuki Bakugo

5\. Diana Prince

6\. Clark Kent

7\. Wally West

8\. Nathaniel Adams

9\. Fumikage Tokoyami

10\. Tenya Iida

11\. Hanta Sero

12\. Eijiro Kirishima

13\. Don Hall

14\. Hank Hall

15\. Jason Blood

16\. Hal Jordan

17\. Dinah Drake

18\. Mari Jiwe McCabe

19\. Arthur Curry

20\. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

21\. Mashirao Ojiro

22\. Tsuyu Asui

23\. Mezu Shoji

24\. Rikido Sato

25\. Ochaco Uraraka

26\. Momo Yaoyorozu

27\. Minoru Mineta

28\. Mina Ashido

29\. Koji Koda

30\. Kyoko Jiro

31\. Sen Kaibara

32\. Kosei Tsuburaba

33\. Denki Kaminari

34\. Itsuka Kendo

35\. Hitoshi Shinsou

36\. Shihai Kuroiro

37\. Nirengeki Shoda

38\. Neito Monoma

39\. Toru Hagakure

40\. Pony Tsunotori

41\. Mei Hatsume

42\. Yuga Aoyama

"Midoriya," Bruce called out. The teen was a bit startled and quickly turned to him. He winced a bit when he saw the scrapes and dirt stains on Bruce's face. "W-Wayne! Uh, I'm really sorry about knocking you down. I didn't mean to hurt you!" Izuku exclaimed. Bruce raised a hand to get him to stop. "It's fine. This was a competition, and the nurse can easily heal this." Bruce crossed his arms. "That move you did back at the minefield. It was really something. I don't know if you're super creative or just crazy. It's likely a mix of both." Izuku awkwardly laughed and glanced to the side, up to the stands. Then he brightened up and fully turned his attention to someone. Bruce followed his gaze and spotted a vaguely familiar blonde giving Izuku a smile and thumbs-up.

"Yagi-san? What's he doing here?" Bruce asked Izuku.

"He's like my... mentor. He's just here to watch me perform," Izuku answered. Bruce paused then looked up at the commentator box. He couldn't see Aizawa's expression due to the bandages, but he felt his teacher's eyes drilling into him. "You're not the only one," Bruce whispered. Izuku blinked. "What?" Bruce returned to looking at him. "Nothing. Congratulations on getting first place. I'm going to visit Recovery Girl." He then walked away, leaving Izuku behind.

As he walked, he past Shoto and Katsuki, who were still catching their breath. Bruce paused. "Todoroki." Shoto looked up at the other teen. "Next time, refrain from burying others under a robot." Shoto remained apathetic while he stared at Bruce's stoic face. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied.

Bakugo snarled at Bruce. "Next game, I'll fucking kill you, Rich Boy!" Bruce barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes and began walking again. "I'd like to see you try." He heard the blonde erupt in a storm of curses, but he tuned them out with his thoughts.

 _This was a setback. I need to keep my game up. In the end, I'll nullify this failure._

As Bruce walked into the tunnel to reach the nurse's office, the shadows deepened around his narrowed eyes, making them practically glow with determination.

 _I will win the Sports Festival and be No. 1!_

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

The first stage of the Sports Festival is complete.

I plan on making up for my loss in the next stage.

 **Next time:** Insanity of the Cavalry

Who should be on my team?

* * *

 **Here is the second chapter! So many new Quirks have been revealed.**

 **Please don't expect the chapters so close. I was only able to finish this so soon because I'm still on break.**


	3. Insanity of the Cavalry

"Mmm~wah!" Recovery Girl kissed Bruce's forehead. The scrapes on his face quickly healed. Since they were barely anything, Bruce didn't feel the slightest bit of tiredness. "Now, how are you feeling?"

Bruce touched his face to feel soft skin. "Much better. Thank you." Recovery Girl nodded and then her demeanor shifted a bit. "How is… your side?" Bruce paused and then slowly lifted his uniform to reveal his scar. "It's aching a bit. Not sure if you can help with that." Recovery Girl eyes his scar sadly. "Well, let's see." The nurse planted a kiss on Bruce's side, and she activated her Quirk. After she was done, Bruce sighed and lowered his shirt. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you, Recovery Girl." She nodded and said, "If the pain returns, just come back and I'll write a prescription for pain killers. Now get back out there. The second stage will be starting soon." Bruce nodded and left the room.

Soon he made his way to the stadium field. "Wayne!" a multitude of voices called out. The teen turned to see his group of friends running up to him.

"You came in 2nd place! So close to first!" Prince exclaimed.

Clark patted Bruce's shoulder. "I was right to worry about you. You're awesome, Wayne!"

Hal eyed Bruce's waist curiously. "Where did your belt go? No, wait, where did you pull it out from during the obstacle race?" Bruce replied, "You never know when you'll need it." "That's not an answer!" Hal shouted.

"Wayne has so many cool gadgets! They look like fun!" Wally cheered as he bounced up and down.

"Man! I got taken out at the end! Damn, I was so close!" Shayera bemoaned. J'onn simply nodded in agreement.

Bruce was silent. _Even after all my efforts, I only ended up as second best. That means I didn't try hard enough._ His fist clenched. _No more of that. I have to win this!_

"Alright, the first stage of the first-year competition is done!" Midnight announced. "The top 42 will now go on to the next round." She turned to the holoscreen behind her. "I know the next game, but what could it be? Just what could it be? The hero cracked her flog at it. "Here it is!"

Bruce quirked an eyebrow. "A cavalry battle? That's not an individual event…"

"Here is how it will work," Midnight began to explain. The participants will form teams made of two to four people. It is the same as any other cavalry battle but with one major difference. Based on the results of the last game, everyone has been assigned a point value."

Bruce brought his hand to his chin as he realized the implications of that rule. "A point-based system like the entrance exam? That means each team will be worth a different amount of points based on who is on them." The holoscreen then switched to show the assigned point values. "Hm, the values go up by five starting from the bottom." He quickly found his name. "My value is 205. So Midoriya is…" Bruce's eyes trailed up to the name above his, and he was unable to keep them from going wide with shock.

 _ **10,000,000!?**_

Bruce quickly glanced at Izuku. The green-haired teen was sweating and clearly shocked. He was the center of everyone's attention like a rabbit in the middle of a bunch of hungry wolves. _So all anyone needs to do is take down Midoriya's team, and they'll be set at the top regardless of their previous placements._ Bruce felt something stir in him, and his vision zeroed in on Izuku. _This is my chance!_

* * *

They were given 15 minutes to choose their teams. Bruce stood off to the side, still in his thinking mode. "This isn't a solo event. I need to take into consideration the compatibility of others and their Quirks." He raised his head and scanned a bit. "A four-person team maybe harder to manage, but there is the advantage in numbers. Now to find three people with suitable Quirks."

"Umm… hey Wayne…" a meek voice came from behind him. Bruce blinked and turned to see a nervous Izuku. "Midoriya?" The other teen awkwardly had his hand outstretched. "Uh, you wouldn't mind teaming up with me… right?" Bruce just stared at Izuku, causing his tension to rise. He quickly tried to explain. "It's just-! You see, I saw what you could do during the obstacle race. You have a useless Quirk but you're really good with your equipment. So I figured together, you could help protect the points, and we all get to the next round." Bruce brought his hand up to his chin as he thought over the pros and cons of such an arrangement. After a few minutes that seemed to stretch for hours, he finally looked back up at Izuku.

"Your offer is very tempting, Midoriya. My skills provide you protection, and I get a free pass to the next round. It's seemingly a win-win solution." Izuku's face lit up with hope.

"So will you-!"

"But," Bruce cut him off, "there is a high risk to such an arrangement. As of now you basically have a target painted on your back. I'm assuming that fact has caused no one else to want to team up with you." Izuku's silence was enough confirmation so he continued. "With only two members, we wouldn't stand a chance with everyone else coming at us. And I couldn't help be notice you have yet to use your Quirk, Midoriya." The green-haired teen swallowed nervously. "You've told me it grants you super strength which would have beem useful against the combat robots. Yet you deliberately choose not to use your Quirk during an event that is meant to showcase our abilities." Bruce allowed the silence to settle before asking, "Am I correct in assuming that your Quirk has a serious drawback that could potentially hinder your performance in future rounds?" The expression of pure shock on Izuku's face was the answer he needed. "Apologies Midoriya, but I'll have to decline teaming up with you. Besides, riding on someone's coattails is not how I want to win." Bruce crossed his arms and walked away. "I will reach the top by my own volition." Izuku stared after the other teen.

 _He- he managed to deduce my weakness from a single observation. Wayne is not someone to be underestimated… he might just be up there with Kacchan and Todoroki as the biggest obstacle._ Izuku took a deep breath to settle his nerves. _I have to find a team that'll allow me to stay at the top!_

* * *

Meanwhile, Bruce was approaching Clark. "Hey, Kent!" His friend turned to him and smiled. "Hi, Wayne! Have you found a team yet?" Bruce shook his head. "No. I was actually coming to ask if you'd be part of my team." Clark gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry Wayne, but I'm already part of a team." The other teen blinked and then peeked around Clark to see Dinah, Arthur, and Hal behind him.

Bruce sighed. "Damn, guess I'm too late." Clark shrugged. "Who knows, maybe it's for the best. If we kept playing as friends, we wouldn't get stronger, right?" Bruce smirked. "That's true. Right now, everyone is an enemy." His smirk morphed in aggression. "I will not go down easily." Clark returned a similar grin. "I never once thought you would."

As Clark walked away, Bruce found himself back to square one. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Wayne! Let's be a team!" Diana exclaimed. Bruce turned his head to find her beaming smile right up in his face. He suddenly couldn't think straight.

 _So-! So close!_

He quickly turned to her. "P-Prince! Are you sure? I-ah-! Why do you want to team up with me?" he asked. Diana smiled. "Isn't it obvious? It is better to work with people you like!" Bruce felt blood rush to his cheeks, and his heart skipped a beat. "Well-! Thank you! I want to partner up with you, too." Having calmed down, he immediately began to look around. "I think four members will better our chances in the event, so we still need two people." Diana nodded and started searching, too. Her eyes then spotted someone. "Oh!" She ran off and came back with Nathaniel. "Wayne, how about Adams? His Quirk has a long range and will definitely provide protection." Nathaniel flexed his hand. "I'd be happy to join your team." Bruce pondered a bit and replied, "Yes, this can work." He then turned to search for the final member.

 _Just one more person. Prince and Adams' Quirks are both strong, but they will be restricted as the base. I need someone… Someone's whose Quirk can move freely!_

Bruce's eyes landed on the perfect candidate. He walked over to them. "Hey," he called out. The person turned.

* * *

"Alright, everyone! The 15 minutes are up and the teams have formed! It's time for a bloody battle! Get your battle cries ready!" Present Mic announced.

Bruce tightened his headband. Diana and Nathaniel were secured at his sides, and Jason held him up on his back, red arms sprouting out his abdomen.

"Prince."

"Yeah!"

"Adams."

"Yes!"

"Blood."

"Hm."

"We're going to get the 10,000,000 headband. No one is getting in our way!" Bruce declared.

"Right!" his classmates replied.

"Start!"

It was a no-brainer that every team rushed at Midoriya's team. Bruce recognized two of the green-haired teen's classmates and took note of the support items likely provided by the pink-haired support course student.

"Let's not go head on immediately," Bruce told his team. "Though our end-goal is that headband, we shouldn't place all our hopes of making it to the next round on it immediately."

"What is your plan, Wayne?" Nathaniel asked.

Bruce pulled out a grapple from the utility belt that was once again around his waist. "Since the other teams are so focused on stealing Midoriya's headband, they likely aren't paying attention to their own."

* * *

Izuku's team flew up into the air, thanks to Mei's jet pack and hover shoes and Uraraka's Quirk. Tokoyami managed to block an attack from Jiro's jacks. Dark Shadow was able to make up for their lack of defense with its omnidirectional mid-range.

They soon landed and were on the run again. However, the other teams were in for a nasty surprise.

"Hagakure! Where's your headband?" Sato asked in a panic. The invisible girl frantically flailed. 'When did this happen?!"

"Kendo! Your headband's gone!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed.

"How did I lose my headband already?!" both Dinah and Mari shouted when their respective teams noticed.

Neito looked among the chaos smugly. "It would seem that they all allowed themselves to get distracted, and someone gave them the slip. How uncoordinated," he said with a shrug. Then he heard a faint "whir"-ing sound and felt the tug of his band as it was pulled away from his neck. Neito followed the grapple bringing the piece of cloth to Bruce's hand. He placed it with the others around his own neck.

"Don't act all high and mighty when you yourself aren't immune to flaws," Bruce said.

"Whoa! Wayne's team is coming in hot and swiping all the other team's headbands!" Present Mic exclaimed.

"The 0-JL class… they were a wildcard from the beginning. Such a class didn't exist until this year. "Neito's expression grew somewhat psychotic with restrained tranquil fury. "They threw a wrench in our plan. Class 1-B was purposefully meant to hang back in the preliminaries to observe our main opponents: 1-A. But then several from 0-JL took spots near the top, knocking out a majority of 1-B."

Bakugo saw the grapple out of the corner of his eyes. He snarled and batted it away with an explosion. "You think I'd fall for that, you bastard?!" Then Bakugo felt a single finger slip between the headband and his hair and heard the rip of Velcro giving way. Bruce secured his prize while reeling in the grapple he had sent around as a distraction. "No, you may be a brute, but I can tell you're not an idiot," the seen said as he and his team ran off.

The blonde was stunned and then yelled, "Get back here! I'll fucking kill you, Rich Boy!"

His team gave chase as did Neito's. "We've got to get that back! We have zero points!" Sero exclaimed. "I can cut them off!" Mina said. She raised her hand and aimed a shot of acid. It was meant to cut off Wayne's team for a few seconds which was enough time for Bakugo to swipe back the headband and maybe a few extras. However, Jason noticed and quickly brought up a red arm to block the acid.

"Nngh-!" he hissed while wincing. "Blood, you okay?" Nathaniel asked. "I'm fine. Let's focus on the task at hand," the red-and-white-haired teen reassured.

"Make a right! Skid!" commanded Bruce. Diana drove her foot into the concrete. Holding on tight, her team rotated with her as the pivot. She then pushed off the ground, kicking up chunks of it and propelling her team forward. "Nicely done, Prince!" complimented Bruce. Diana smiled brightly.

"Get back here! Stop running away!" Bakugo roared as his team continued to give chase, Neito's team following in suit.

* * *

Izuku and his team were cornered, all teams were coming at them. Todoroki was going to make sure they didn't get in his way. "Kaminari, do it!"

The electric blonde grinned. "Be sure to cover up well." He then unleashed the electricity had been charging up. "Indiscriminate Shock… 1.3 Million Volts!" All teams were hit with the electricity, freezing them in place. Todoroki used the insulated tarp Momo created to shield his team. Todoroki wasted no time freezing the ground through the staff Momo also had created, trapping the teams. "That should take care of them."

"You guys hang on! There's only a minute left after." Tenya began concentrating energy to his engines. "I can only use this once, so I'm counting on you to get it to Todoroki."

"Iida?"

Blue energy burst out of his exhaust pipes, and the sudden speed propelled them forward right at Deku's team.

"Torque Over… Recipro Burst!"

The second they passed, Shoto snatched the headband right off of Deku's head. The entire stadium was in an uproar over the sudden demonstration of super speed.

"What was that?" Shoto asked, stunned. Tenya breathed heavily. "Just a special move I haven't told anyone about. I create explosive power increasing the torque and rotations. Though the recoil causes my engines to stall." Tenya turned to Izuku who looked beyond shocked. "I told you, remember? That I would challenge you."

"We have to get it back!" Izuku exclaimed. "But if we attack, we'll be at a disadvantage because of Kaminari," Tokoyami said. "But we don't know how the other points are split. This is our only chance!" Izuku replied.

"It's not _your_ only chance!" exclaimed another voice.

Something leaped over the ice barrier and landed hard. When the dust settled, it revealed Clark with Arthur and Hal at his sides and Dinah on his back.

"What? But weren't they hit by Kaminari's Quirk and then frozen?" questioned Shoto.

Hal smirked and his eyes and ring glowed then a green prism formed around his team. "Electricity and ice have no effect on a barrier that blocks basically everything."

Todoroki "tch"-ed while Momo looked despondent.

"There's less than a minute left, but we'll be taking the 10,000,000 points," Clark said.

"Don't leave us out of this!" came another voice. The air was filled with the sounds of hits coming in rapid succession and of ice cracking. Soon a large section of the ice barrier was destroyed, shattering and crumbling forward. Wally lowered his leg, signifying he had kicked down the section. Wally was the base of his team, with Don and Hank on the sides and Mari on top. However, Wally looked a bit… off. His eyes were wide open and his green irises were small. He had a wide smile that showed off his teeth. Wally looked like a psychotic little cutie. The Hall brothers and Mari spared him a few concerned glances but remained concentrated on the opponents in front of them.

"W-West? Are you okay?" Clark called out to him. The redhead giggled in response. "I'm fine Kent! In fact, I feel great!" he responded. "I had to protect my team from that electric attack, so I absorbed all of the volts that reached us. My Quirk grants me extreme speeds because of excess kinetic energy in my body. Electricity is the movement of electric charges. In other words, electricity is just another form of kinetic energy." Somehow, Wally's grin grew. "And now I'm juiced up past my limits." Wally put one leg forward.

"Flash Forward… Overcharge!"

* * *

Meanwhile, as this was all going on, Bruce, Bakugo, and Neito's teams were still keeping up their game of keep-away. Bakugo blasted away from his and was heading towards Bruce.

"You fucking Rich Boy! Give it back!" he exclaimed. "Adams!" Bruce shouted. "On it," the other teen replied. He quickly brought his hand up, sending an arc of radiation at the blonde. Sero snagged Bakugo with his Quirk and was able to reel him back from being hit.

"Bakugo, don't go acting on your own," Kirishima said once the blonde was safely on his back. "Shut up! We need to get it back! I'll take all of Rich Boy's headbands for messing with me!"

"You criticized me earlier for looking down on others, yet you yourself seem to have forgotten about us. What, are we not threatening enough?" Neito asked as he reached for the headbands around Bruce's neck. The black-haired teen backhanded the blonde's hand without even looking, much to his shock. "It's not that. I see everyone as a threat for first place." He gave the blonde a side glare. "However, the difference in our goals tells me you were never really aiming for the top to begin with." Neito looked confused before forcing a smile. "So you think you have got me all figured out?" His team charged at Bruce's team. "That's quite arrogant of you!"

"Not arrogance, empathy," Bruce said as he blocked Neito's hand with his forearm, "You're not the only one who's felt jealousy." Neito gave a condescending smirk. "Ho? And how would you-?" He stopped mid-sentence and his expression morphed into one of confusion. He quickly snapped out of it and brought his hand down to flick the tips of Nathaniel's quiff. Bruce's eyes widened a bit when he saw the familiar glow of red-speckled blue energy emerge from Neito's palm. He managed to dodge the arc of radiation that barely missed clipping his chin. His team backed up and stopped a few feet away from their opponents.

"He has the same Quirk as me?" Nathaniel asked in shock. "No," Bruce said as he straightened up. "He can copy other people's Quirks. I presume through physical contact. Judging from your reaction you got nothing from me. Sorry to disappoint but my useless Quirk would not help anyone."

Neito smirked. "A useless Quirk, you say? How could anyone with such a thing possibly become a hero?" However, in his head, Neito was thinking, _It wasn't like that. I can't really explain it, but whenever I copy a Quirk, I can always feel something there. As if there is something to be taken. But with him there just was… nothing._

"Hey! You don't know what Wayne can do! Even if he doesn't have a flashy Quirk, he still has what it takes to be an amazing hero!" Diana angrily shouted. "Calm down, Prince. There is no reason to become angry for me," Bruce said. She looked up at him. "But… Wayne, he-!" "It's fine," he reassured her, "His words are merely empty provocation."

"Don't ignore me, you bastard!" Bakugo shouted as his team charged at Bruce's. The black-haired teen's eyes darted between the two teams coming at them. "I have a plan to get them both off of us. Follow my lead."

Bruce's team darted away from Bakugo's causing them to instead be near Neito's. As they passed, the Class B student reached out and despite Bruce leaning away, Neito managed to snatch the top headband around his neck. He got a good look at it and realized, "This is Bakugo's headband."

Neito smirked. "Come to think of it, you're quite famous, right? After all, you were the victim of that sludge incident."

"What?" Bakugo made his team come to a halt, and he glared at the other blonde.

"Monoma, don't provoke him. You'll just be as bad as him," Kaibara said. "I suppose you're right," Neito agreed. "Besides, don't villains usually do heroes in out of revenge?"

Bakugo gritted his teeth in rage. "Kirishima… change of plans. I'm going to fucking kill him!"

"Bakugo, wait! If you don't calm down, we can't get those points!"

Explosions went off in Bakugo's palms. "I am fucking calm! Now go forward!"

Bruce glanced back at the conflict. "It worked perfectly. I put Bakugo's headband on top, increasing the chance that Monoma would grab it. I can tell that Class 1-B bears ill will towards Class 1-A, Monoma especially so. He wouldn't be able to resist the chance to mock a 1-A student. As for Bakugo, his short temper makes it easy to provoke and cause him to switch targets. The headband is there to add the probability of receiving a reward for going after Monoma." Bruce returned to looking forward. "They'll keep each other busy."

Diana glanced at the scoreboard. "Wayne, we have enough points to get to the next round! We just have to guard for about a minute!"

"No." She, Nathaniel, and Jason glanced at Bruce in confusion. "We cannot settle on just 'enough.' Our end-goal is to get the 10,000,000 points." He stared ahead at the opening in the ice barrier surrounding the fight for that headband. "We will get it. I've got a plan."

* * *

The burst of wind blew nearly everyone off their feet. Once it had settled, everyone else turned towards Wally's team. Don, Hank, and Mari all had their hair blown back by the sheer boost in speed, and Mari triumphant held a headband.

"It's ours now! We just have to-!"

"Jordan! Plugs!" Dinah yelled. Hal's ring glowed and several beams of light sprung forth. They reached each base members' ears and left earplugs when they retreated.

"Canary Cry… Max Volume!"

Dinah unleashed an extremely loud scream that spread out. Everyone cringed in pain as their eardrums rattled. While the riders could cover their ears, it didn't do much. And the students that made up the bases, unfortunately, had no way to protect their ears and just had to endure it. With all teams stunned by Dinah's attack, Clark and co. rushed at Wally's team, and she was able to snatch the headband out of Mari's hand.

They skidded to a halt, and Dinah cut her scream off. "We did it! We got-!" Her face fell when she saw the number. "This isn't the 10,000,000 points!"

"What!?" Clark, Arthur, and Hal exclaimed.

Mari was also surprised. "It was the wrong headband? He must have switched it out knowing that the top one would be grabbed first." She quickly returned her attention to her team. "West, you need to- ah?!" Don and Hank also stared at Wally in shock. The previously hyper boy now had a dopey wide smile and his eyes were droopy. His head tilted to the side as he kept nodding off. "I… suddenly… feel… very sleepy…"

"Damn! That electricity boose basically caused a sugar rush in him. Now he's coming down from the high and experiencing a crash!" Hank exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Deku, seeing that he still had a chance, activated One for All in his arm, and Shoto brought up his left arm and ignited his fire.

 _I won't hit him. I'm just going to break his defense!_

With a quick swipe to the side, Izuku caused enough wind to blow Shoto's arm away, leaving the headbands open for the taking. The teen stared at the flames, stunned.

 _My left side… when did I-?_

 _Now's my chance!_

An explosion rang out, and Bakugo flew over the remaining ice that hadn't been destroyed by Dinah's earlier attack.

"Deku! Icy-Hot bastard!" he exclaimed.

"Todoroki! Get it together!" Iida shouted. Shoto broke from his stupor and readied his right arm.

The timer had hit the final countdown. Deku reached out, hoping to grab the 10,000,000 points back before Todoroki froze his arm or Kacchan reached them.

 _Just… a little… closer…!_

A hand grabbed onto the headband. Izuku, Katsuki, Shoto, and everyone just stared. Bruce remained stoic as he ripped it away from Todoroki's neck, allowing them to see the red "10,000,000." Everything was in slow motion as they could only watch as Bruce said one thing as he was upside down.

"Nice try."

Then time sped up as he was pulled back towards his team by an elongated red arm.

"Nice one, Wayne! I didn't know you could leap that far!" Nathaniel praised.

The buzzer went off.

"Time! Wow! Did you all see that!? Wayne pulled off a crazy move and managed to score the 10,000,000 points at the literally the last second!"

The crowd cheered.

Deku and Shoto along with their teams just stared at Bruce, absolutely stunned. Bakugo had fallen onto the ground on his face and his team was busy making sure he was okay.

"How did he…?" Izuku trailed off.

"He just showed up out of nowhere," Shoto said.

"In first place, we have Team Wayne! In second place, we have Team Todoroki! Coming in third, we've got Team Bakugo!"

Deku was quiet as Mei helped remove the jetpack. He turned to his teammates. "You guys… I'm really sorry…," he said.

"Midoriya," Tokoyami called to him. "Todoroki was shaken by your attack, allowing me to take the headband on his head off." Dark Shadow rose to reveal what it had clutched in its mouth. "I also grabbed a few extras…"

"Hmm?" "Wayne, what's wrong?" Diana asked. "Nothing it's just… some of the headbands around my neck are gone."

"However, Todoroki's was the biggest contribution to our points. We got it thanks to your last attack." Dark Shadow gave a thumbs-up.

"And in fourth place, a tie between Teams Midoriya and- Shinso!? When were they coming up from behind?"

Izuku's eyes burst into twin geysers of tears, releasing so much force he dug into the ground.

Bruce observed from a distance. "Is his Quirk super strength or the ability to never become dehydrated?"

"All five teams will advance to the next round! For now, we will take an hour break for lunch! See ya at noon! Eraser. Mid-Nite. Let's get some food."

"I'm going to sleep." "I have work to do."

As the students filed out to the cafeteria, Bruce's friends converged.

"Congratulations, Prince. You made it to the next round!" Shayera said as she playfully punched the other girl's shoulder. Diana just awkwardly laughed as she rubbed the spot. "Jordan, is West okay?" J'onn asked. The brunette was carrying a sleeping Wally on his back. The redhead still had a dopey smile and was drooling on Hal's shoulder. Hal gave an embarrassed smile. "He'll be fine. Once he smells food, he'll be wide awake." He glanced around a bit. "Hey, where's Kent and Wayne?" The other three teens then noticed the missing two.

"I'm not sure," Diana said. "Where did they go?"

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

The final round is next!

What surprises await us all?

Next time: **Fight, Fight, Fight!**

Time to scope out my opponents.

* * *

 **Alright, the third chapter is here! Up next is the fighting tournament!**


	4. Fight, Fight, Fight!

Diana sat with her other friends, occasionally glancing around the cafeteria in search of Clark and Bruce. "Where are they? If they don't show up soon there won't be much time for them to eat?"

Shayera shrugged. "Maybe they went out to the concession stands because they weren't too hungry," she suggested.

"But the food in the cafeteria is free," Hal pointed out as he cut his hamburger steak, "If they weren't hungry they could have just ordered something small. Why spend money on what's basically snacks?"

Shayera swallowed some soba. "I don't know about Kent, but Wayne's rich. I doubt some concession food will put a dent in his bank. Besides Wayne's also a lone wolf. He's probably just taking some time to himself after the cavalry battle, maybe even thinking about the next event."

"Speaking of which," J'onn said after silently listening the whole time, "I want to congratulate you again Prince. You, Wayne, Adams, and Blood are the only students from 0-JL to make it to the final event."

Diana smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, it was really all Wayne. It was his plans that led us to getting the 10,000,000 points." Her smile softened, and she looked down fondly. "He really is amazing. I'm glad I teamed up with him." Shayera eyed her mischievously. "Seems you really appreciated him," the redhead said with a suggestive tone. Diana quickly became flustered and immediately stuttered, "I-I'm just saying how I feel! I think it was a really good idea to team up with him!" Shayera just chuckled and replied, "Sure Prince. I'm sure that's all you feel." Hal snickered into his hand while J'onn just observed blankly.

"You guys!" The teens turned to see Wally running up to the table. "West, where have you been? And why don't you have anything? Weren't you going to get fourths?" Hal asked. Wally nodded and said, "I was, but then I heard something important. Prince, Hol! The girls are all going to have a cheer battle this afternoon!"

Shayera choked on some noodles and Diana quirked an eyebrow. "A cheer battle?" she asked. Wally nodded rapidly and bounced excitedly on his toes. "I heard some guys from 1-A telling their girls about it. They said they had to wear those outfits for the event." Wally pointed at some American girls who were wearing U.A. cheerleading uniforms. They showed off the girls' thighs and midriffs. Shayera stammered at the sight of them. Diana turned back to Wally. "I haven't heard anything about this event." The redhead said, "The boys from 1-A mentioned that they heard the news from their teacher so it must be official. I've already told the other girls in our class about it. I'm sure there are spares for all of you." Diana thought a bit and then said, "Well, if it's official guess we'll have to do it." "WHAA?!" Shayera exclaimed. "Come on, Hol. This could be fun. Besides we can raise our schoolmates' spirits for the rest of the Sports Festival," her friend reasoned. The winged girl blushed and glared away. "... Fine. But I won't enjoy it."

"But I will," Hal piped up. He closed his eyes in anticipation. "Seeing a bunch of cute girls in cheerleading attire. Sweet!" "Do you have to be so blatantly pervy?" J'onn asked. "Come on, J'onzz," Hal said as he eyed the other teen and gently elbowed him. "You can't tell me you don't want to see some hot cheerleading action." "I don't," J'onn bluntly said. Hal's grin slightly died at that straightforward response.

* * *

"That's why I will win without using my old man's damn fire."

Izuku stared at Shoto. He hadn't expected his classmate to tell him such private matters about his life. After mistaking him for All Might's secret lovechild, Shoto told him how his father, Endeavor, pressured his mother into a Quirk marriage in order to have a child strong enough to surpass the No. 1 hero. He also told him how he had gotten his scar when his mother poured boiling water on him while calling his left side "unsightly". To say Izuku was shocked was an understatement. He had never imagined such a life could exist.

Unbeknownst to them, Bakugo had been silently listening in the hall. And unbeknownst to all three of them, there was a fourth person listening just out of sight of the entrance.

Meanwhile, in parallel, Endeavor had shot down All Might's attempts at a civil conversation by telling the blonde how he had created Shoto to surpass him regardless of what he wanted, leaving the No. 1 hero uneasy. Both pro heroes were oblivious to the person on the above staircase.

It goes without saying that both secret listeners were disturbed by what they had just heard. By the time Shoto left the hall and All Might went up the stairs, no one was there.

* * *

Bruce walked through the concession stands of the festival. He kept turning what he had learned in his head. _Todoroki… so his Quirk can generate fire… but he refuses to use it… though understandable, it's still…_ Bruce's fists tightened. He rarely got angry. Well, he's been angry before just not this type of angry. He felt like he wanted to punch something. He had to cool down.

Bruce spotted a ramune stand. _Sugary, but it will suffice._ He walked up to it and bought an original flavor. He popped the marble and took a long drink. So when something rammed into his legs and didn't let go, he choked and sputtered out some soda.

"Mama, Mama, look! It really is him!"

Bruce looked down to see a little boy with light brown hair and matching big eyes. He looked vaguely familiar.

"Haru! Don't run off like that! And you shouldn't randomly hug people. You might startle them." Bruce glanced up and saw a woman running towards them. She had the same hair and eyes as the boy though she had a low ponytail. Now her he definitely recognized. Though only now she wasn't looking terrified of the probability of having her life ended by a villain.

"It's you," the teen said. The woman smiled softly and nodded. "Yes. I believe we didn't get to properly introduce ourselves. I am Amane Hinazuki." The little boy released Bruce's leg to run over and hug her's. "And this is Haru, my son." Bruce nodded. "My name is Bruce Wayne though I'm sure you know that from watching the sports festival. How have you been?" Hinazuki smiled. "I've been fine. I never got to properly thank you for saving me from that villain." Bruce awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't really do much. Eraserhead was the one who stopped the villain." "Mister!" The little boy drew both his mother and Bruce's attention. His eyes sparkled as he looked up at the teen. "You saved my mama from a bad guy! You're my hero!"

Bruce jerked back a bit, surprised. He then smiled gently. "Thank you, Haru-chan. You have no idea how much those words mean to me." He and Hinazuki began walking to the stadium and Haru skipped ahead. "I was worried that Haru would be negatively affected by the event. Instead, he's made up his mind that he wants to be a hero when he grows up." Hinazuki's smile became apprehensive. "He seems so happy with the idea, but… I'm uncertain if that is the best option for him. Hero work is so dangerous." Bruce was silent and then responded, "Haru-chan is still young, so he has plenty of time to decide his future. However, if he really is determined to become a hero and is willing to give his all to achieve that goal, the best thing you can do is support him throughout his journey to that dream. You'd be surprised how much parental support can hold a person up." He smiled at her, and she returned it. "It was a pleasure to see you again. And thank you again. You really are a hero." This brought a wide smile that showed his pearly whites on to Bruce's face. "Thank you for your kind words. Stay safe." Bruce waved good-bye to the mother and son who gave him shouts of good luck. When his back was turned, he heard Haru asking his mother why "that hero" didn't have any merchandise yet. That just made Bruce beam even more.

* * *

Lunch was over, and it was time for the final game. But before that, there would be recreational games that everyone could join since this still was a sports festival. Those cheerleaders were here to liven the games up. Speaking of which…

"Hey, hey Classes 1-A and 0-JL! What's with this sudden fanservice?"

The girls of both classes stood mortified as they held pom-poms in their cheerleading uniforms.

Helena gritted her teeth. "How the hell did this happen?" Zatanna slumped in embarrassment. "West told us that there would be an official cheer battle." "I can't believe I went through with this!" Shayera snarled as she angrily threw her pom-poms down. Dinah and Diana just stood embarrassed. Mari came back after walking off. "I figured out what happened. Some pervs in 1-A were tricking the girls about this 'cheer battle', and West must have overheard and believed them." The girls sighed. "It figures his naivete would eventually screw us," Shayera muttered.

Someone clearing their throat drew the girls' attention to the side. Wally stood bashfully, looking down at his twiddling thumbs. "You guys… I want to say sorry. I told you the wrong information and now I've embarrassed you all."

All the girls softened to varying degrees. "Oh West, no one is blaming you," Zatanna reassured. "Yeah. It's not like you lied to get us into these pervy clothes," added Shayera. "You genuinely thought you were helping. That's good at least," Diana said. Wally still looked ashamed. "But I still caused this…" The boy was silent for a bit before he suddenly lit up. "Oh! I've got an idea!" He then sped off.

Clark watched his friend go. He was one of the few guys not staring at their female classmates though he was surprised like everyone else. "Man, things have taken a turn, huh Wayne? What do you think West is going to do now?" he casually asked his friend. When he didn't receive an answer, he turned away from looking at the entrance Wally had disappeared into and drew his attention towards Bruce. The teen was staring blankly ahead. Clark followed his gaze and saw it landed on Diana who hadn't noticed the boy's stares.

Clark laughed. "Yeah. It was quite a shock seeing them all dressed up like that, right Wayne?" No answer. Clark tilted his head as his friend. "Wayne?" Nothing. He snapped his fingers in front of his face. Still nothing.

…

…

… (Bruce_ has stopped working)

"... Wayne?"

"I'm back!"

Wally's high-pitch voice startled everyone, but what he was wearing shocked them even more. He had switched out his gym uniform for a cheerleading outfit causing his soft but visible abs to be seen. His runner legs were also shown off as the skirt fluttered when he bounced up and down. "There! Now you won't feel as bad because I'm now dressed up, too!" he exclaimed as he wildly shook his pom-poms. The girls just stared, absolutely gobsmacked. All the boys were also stunned. In fact, every single person in the stadium was shocked.

"West, what the hell are you doing?" Hal asked, flustered. The redhead turned to his friend. "I'm just making them feel better. I messed up, so this is my way of fixing it." "But, aren't you embarrassed?" the brunette asked. Wally pondered a bit and then replied, "Not really. I mean if girls can wear pants, why can't a guy wear a skirt?" Hal just stared before smiling and laughing softly.

Meanwhile, Class 1-A was listening and watching the scene. After hearing Wally's words, Kirishima clenched his fist with tears glistening in his eyes. "Damn, willing to risk humiliation for fellow classmates. West is truly manly!" Denki just awkwardly blushed. "... Is it weird he looks like a girl from behind?" the blonde asked. "... No?" Mineta replied, equally red.

Diana tried awkwardly to persuade Wally to change out of the uniform. "Really West, you don't need to do this. It's really not that bad."

"As if! I'm going to change!" exclaimed Helena. "But Bertinelli, you look really good in it," said a voice. Helena quickly turned to face Vic, her face tomato-red. "You- you think so?" Vic nodded. "Mm-hm. You look like a model and it shows off your perfection." Suddenly Helena had her pom-poms up and she struck a pose. "Let's do this! Cheer your hearts out!" she addressed the other girls though she remained facing Vic.

"Well she was convinced easily," Mari noted, crossing her arms. "I've gotta say though McCabe, he ain't wrong about them outfits showin' off the right stuff," Greg said. His blush bridged across his nose. "Your'n biceps are in full view," he whispered. Mari smirked and flexed her arm at the cowboy. Greg's blush deepened and the tips of his ears reddened. "Like what you see, cowboy?" the girl teased. "Definitely. Strong women are hot," the boy drawled with a grin.

Dinah looked out of the corner of her eye. "You didn't think I wouldn't notice you staring did you Queen?" she teased the other blonde. Oliver grinned. "What? Can you blame me for appreciating fine art? The cheerleading outfit is just an added bonus." Dinah coyly smiled and used her pom-poms to hide her cleavage. "I'm afraid this gallery is not open to the public." Oliver walked up to her, his gaze and grin becoming more alluring with each step. Soon he was looking into her eyes, and he said, "Why don't you give me a private sneak peek," he lifted her chin up a bit, "so I can learn more about the artist behind the gallery?"

Kaminari had disappointed tears in his eyes. "Dammit, that's three hotties already taken."

Eventually, announcements continued. The final round would be one-on-one tournament battles with the members of the five teams that made it past the cavalry battle. The brackets would be determined through random draws.

Bruce stared up at the screen displaying the currently-empty bracket chart. _One-on-one fights, huh? Of those who made it through, I have a basic idea on most of their Quirks. Some, however, are still a mystery to me…_

There was a bit of a surprise before the drawing. Two students, one from 1-A with a long tail, and a short guy from 1-B, withdrew from the final round. They did it for the same reason: they couldn't remember anything from the previous round and felt it wasn't right to continue without having given it their own effort. Midnight accepted their withdrawal, but that left two empty spots in the tournament.

Clark felt a hand on his shoulder. "This guy literally carried us in the last round," Hal said. Another hand rested on his other shoulder. "He was vital in allowing us to make it to the end of the cavalry battle," Dinah said. Clark glanced back and forth between them in confusion. Arthur stood off to the side with his arms crossed. "It was our fault for missing the 10,000,000 points, swish. Kent played his part well."

"... You guys…" Clark trailed off.

And so Clark along with another 1-B student advanced to the final round. With the total number back to twenty, the first bracket was chosen.

 **Hitoshi Shinso vs. Izuku Midoriya**

 **Hanta Sero vs. Shoto Todoroki**

 **Katsuki Bakugo vs. Denki Kaminari**

 **Tenya Iida vs. Mei Hatsume**

 **Diana Prince vs. Yuga Aoyama**

 **Jason Blood vs. Fumikage Tokoyami**

 **Nathaniel Adams vs. Ochaco Uraraka**

 **Bruce Wayne vs. Mina Ashido**

 **Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu vs. Eijiro Kirishima**

 **Clark Kent vs. Momo Yaoyorozu**

Bruce was already thinking about his plan against his opponent, however, his mind couldn't help but wander to the two students who withdrew from the competition. _They both suffered from a lapse in memory… and both were on his team._ He glanced at the purple-haired general studies student. _S_ _hinso Hitoshi… an intriguing line up of events._

* * *

As the recreational games took place, most who were to be in the tournament battles used that time to prepare. This was it. The final challenge for first place.

Bruce sat alone on some stairs. He heard someone walking down and looked behind himself. He gave a small smile. "Aizawa-sensei." His teacher nodded. "Hey. How are you feeling?" Bruce turned away. "I won't lie, I am quite nervous. There are many powerful opponents in the final round… and now my best friend is fighting in it, too. I have no doubt that he will make it to the end… and I plan to make it to the end as well. That means I will have to face him." Bruce's grip on his knees tightened. "When I fought him during the battle trial at the start of the school year I was barely able to do anything. The only reason Prince and I won is that I distracted him long enough for her to achieve the objective. Now if I'm going to win, I'll have to beat him. And that's practically impossible." Aizawa was silent. "Wayn-" "But," Bruce continued as he stood and looked back at his teacher, "it was practically impossible for someone like me to get into U.A., yet here I am." Aizawa nodded. "Right. You've worked hard and deserve to be here. Don't start doubting yourself now." The teen nodded in return. "Right. I'm going to win this Aizawa-sensei. Oh, Sensei! You'll never believe what happened." Bruce suddenly perked up. "I ran into that woman from the bandaged villain incident and her son. They were both in good health." Bruce shyly smiled at the ground. "Her son, Haru-chan, called me a hero. It… made me really happy." Aizawa smiled under his bandages. It was rare to see Bruce's smile, especially one as genuine as this. "That's just the first time you're going to be called a hero. Now get ready. The final round is about to start."

* * *

Bruce sat with his friends in the stands to watch the first round. Everyone was pretty excited though some were calm like J'onn, Arthur, and Jason. Speaking of Jason, Bruce noticed bandages wrapped around his forearms. The other teen had disappeared soon after the cavalry battle. _His arm correlates with the one of his Quirk hit by that girl's acid,_ Bruce noted. He turned back to the fight. It was between Izuku and Shinso. This was now his chance to see their Quirks and prepare for which one he could potentially face.

However… things didn't go as he expected. Bruce watched as Shinso said something to Midoriya, then the green-haired boy walked a bit towards his opponent before he just froze. Then he turned around and started walking to the boundaries. Bruce saw that Izuku had a blank expression, his eyes wide and glazed over.

"Oh? This is quite interesting," he mused. "What's going on?" Clark asked, "If he walks out of bounds, he'll lose." "Exactly." Bruce's friends turned to him. "This is Shinso's Quirk. It allows him to gain some sort of control over another and command them. I believe it is voice-activated since he spoke to Midoriya at the start of the fight." He rested his chin on the back of his hand. "Unless Midoriya can somehow break free of his hold, Shinso has basically won this." _How disappointing. I actually wanted to see Midoriya's Quirk. He is in Aizawa-sensei's class after all._

However, once again things did not go as he expected. Just as his foot was about to cross the boundary, Izuku just stopped. Like a statue. Bruce lifted his head up.

"Hmm? He stopped? Did he-" Suddenly Bruce felt a strange pulse. He could hear some sort of heartbeat in the back of his skull. It was faint but there. Only… there was more than one. Several hearts beating in synchronization. On impulse he stood up, ignoring his friends' questions, and walked to the edge of the stand. He stared down at Midoriya. _W-What am I-_

Suddenly all around Midoriya was an explosion of colors. Rays of the light spectrum surrounded him and seemed to flow into him. However, a few strays managed to deviate and instead reached towards Bruce. There was an uncanny tingling sensation as his body felt the raw power, from his toes to the tips of his hair.

 _What… is… this!?_

There was a burst of wind from where Izuku stood, and then he was breathing heavily, just shy of the border. He wasn't the only one out of a shock. Bruce braced himself on the cement wall of the stand, heaving. Sweat trailed down his forehead. _Wha… the hell… was that!? Was that Midoriya's Quirk? But it wasn't anything like super strength! It felt like… like-!_

A hand fell on his shoulder. Startled, Bruce quickly snapped his head to see Clark's concerned expression, their other friends behind him. "Wayne, are you okay? You just got up all of a sudden and wouldn't answer us. You're also breathing really hard. Do you need the nurse?" Clark asked. Bruce swallowed and hastily answered, "Ah- no. Sorry, I just- I'm- I'm fine, really." "Are you sure? Do you need water?" Diana asked. "Thank you, but I'm okay. Just wanted a… closer view." He could tell they didn't believe that excuse, but they didn't press any further. All seven returned to their seats, the other six still shooting Bruce worried glances. He tried to distract himself by watching the fight, however, the uncomfortable question of what just happened continued to pound in his head.

The fight ended with Izuku flipping Shinso out of bounds and advancing to the next round. "He managed to turn the tables at the last minute," Hal said. "That purple-haired guy, Shinso? His Quirk seems pretty awesome but kinda cheap. Not exactly the fighting type," Shayera said. "Not all Quirks have to be suitable for combat in order to be useful in hero work," said J'onn.

"So Midoriya won even though it looked like he was going to lose. What do you think the next fight will be like, Wa-" Clark cut himself off when he saw the seat next to him was empty. "Wha!? Where'd he go?!" Diana exclaimed.

* * *

Shinso walked into the dark entrance hall, preparing to head back to the stands with his classmates. He sighed. Though his classmates had for once actually said nice things about his Quirk, he had still lost. His Quirk just wasn't enough. He wasn't enough.

"Dammit…"

"I see you're disappointed."

Shinso startled and quickly looked up. He could have sworn that he was alone here. Bruce stood a few feet in front of him, his arms crossed. "That's no surprise. You did lose after all. And to someone you threatened to 'knock down a peg'." Shinso scowled as Bruce smugly threw his own words back at him. He huffed and shoved past him. He wasn't going to listen to this arrogant jerk.

"I have to say, that's a pretty cool Quirk."

That got Shinso to freeze and look back at Bruce in shock. Bruce remained facing away from him.

"All you'd have to do is get a villain to talk to you and it's over. You can just turn them in; maybe even make them turn themselves in." Bruce glanced over his shoulder, his smugness still in full force. "That look tells me this is probably one of the few times your Quirk's been praised, if ever."

Shinso frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hard for anyone to receive praise when you have a villain's Quirk," he bitterly said as he glanced to the side. Bruce's smirk fell, and his face returned to its usual apathy.

"I know what you said to Midoriya." Shinso looked up once again in shock. How? How was that possible? No way he could have heard that from up in the stands. Bruce easily saw the confusion on the other teen's face. "I read your lips." That only served to startle Shinso even more. Bruce sighed and turned to fully face him. "Look, in a different angle, I understand how you feel. But here's the thing Shinso: any Quirk can be heroic or villainous. They can be used for the benefits of others… or they can be used for one's self without regards to others." Bruce allowed silence to fill the air leaving Shinso uncomfortable as he inadvertently thought about how he "assembled" his team for the cavalry battle. Bruce continued, "My point is that it is the actions of a person that determines if they are a hero or a villain, not the power." More silence. Then, "I don't think you're a villain… but your actions tell me you're not a nice person."

Shinso remained quiet, so Bruce began walking past him. He stopped when he was right next to him. "Though you called Ojiro's withdrawal for the sake of his pride 'foolish', I think you have an understanding of wanting to win by your own power." Shinso glanced at him. Bruce remained looking forward. "You remind me of Aizawa-sensei: an impressive Quirk that cannot be solely relied on in combat but when combined with martial arts could make an amazing hero." The other teen stared at him. "I recommend you talk to him after all this. I guarantee he can help you become a great hero. And if you don't want to take my word for it," Bruce said as he made eye contact over his shoulder, his smirk back, "then you can just watch when I win and decide for yourself." He then walked away, his footsteps silent. The purple-haired teen just watched after him. That wasn't arrogance just now, that was… absolute self-confidence. Shinso looked down.

"Aizawa-sensei… huh?"

* * *

Bruce made his way to Recovery Girl's office. His scar was starting to ache again. Something about that… weird surge caused it to act up again. As he reached the door, it flung open.

"Thank you for- umph!"

Izuku ran smack into Bruce's chest.

"Ah! Sorry, Wayne!" he exclaimed. "It's nothing," Bruce replied. He noticed two of Izuku's fingers were bandaged. _So my assumption was right._ "Well, uh, the next fight will start soon. I don't want to miss it. Hope you feel better." "Thank you." Izuku ran off, and Bruce entered the room. He saw Recovery Girl sitting in a chair, and Yagi standing next to her.

"Hello, Recovery Girl. Hello, Yagi-san." The adults returned his greeting. Bruce lifted his shirt. "I'm afraid my scar is hurting again, Recovery Girl. I guess I'll need painkillers." The nurse sadly frowned and nodded. She kissed his scar then rotated her seat to write a prescription note. Bruce noticed Yagi staring at him sadly. "What's wrong, Yagi-san? It's not like you caused this." He rested his hand on his side. "I got this because I was reckless." _That's only half of the truth,_ he thought. Yagi forced a tired smile. "Sorry, Young Wayne it… just brings up unfortunate memories."

"..." Bruce's unwavering gaze bore into him. Before the blonde could shift awkwardly, Bruce said, "You have a habit of putting 'Young' in front of people's names, Yagi-san."

Yagi blinked. Such a… random thing to point out. "Why yes Young Wayne. Why do you mention that?" Bruce was silent. "No reason. It's just that All Might does the same thing."

Recovery Girl stopped writing. Yagi's posture stiffened. Bruce made note of both. "That's quite a coincidence… isn't it?"

Silence filled the room. The tension in the atmosphere was suffocating.

"Ah, well-!" Yagi coughed into his fist. "I am All Might's secretary so I suppose I picked up on some of his tendencies! Heh!" Bruce remained silent. The uncomfortableness began to rise again when he said, "Well, he does have a way of… influencing people." Bruce stood up and took the note. "Thank you, Recovery Girl." He nodded to Yagi. "It was nice seeing you again… Yagi-san." The teen then walked out of the room.

When the door closed, All Might let out a deep breath. "H-Holy shit! Young Wayne… is truly frightening!" Recovery Girl sighed. "It isn't too surprising. He is one of the most intelligent students in his class. He also took over his family's business at a young age. He's kept it running and its stocks high for six straight years." She turned to All Might. "For his sake, you'd better hope he doesn't find out the truth." The No. 1 hero grimly looked at the door.

* * *

Bruce walked back to the stands, his thoughts racing.

 _When Midoriya bumped into me… I felt it again. The heartbeats… And Yagi-san… it came from him too, only fainter._ His brows pulled into a frown. _Could it be… they are more than just mentor and student? Midoriya, Yagi-san… All Might…_

* * *

The second fight went pretty much how he expected. It was over in a few seconds.

 _What do you expect when you put a tape dispenser against half of Antarctica and half of the Sun?_ Bruce boredly thought as his classmates freaked out about Todoroki's tremendous display of power. Bruce eyed the victorious teen. _He didn't even bother with his fire._

His fist tightened.

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

The fights of the first round continue!

What happens when my classmates take the stage?

Next time: **Differences in Levels**

Some victories lean more towards "bitter" in bittersweet.


	5. Difference in Levels

After the stage was thawed off, the next match could commence. Bakugo and Kaminari walked on to face each other.

"Well, Bakugo guess this is it. Try not to kill me, please?" Kaminari tried putting on a confident face but his voice wavered near the end.

Bakugo grinned maliciously and he pulled his hands out of his pockets. "You kidding? Fuck no, Dunce-Face! I'm hitting you with everything I got!" His opponent whimpered at his imminent doom.

"'Dunce-Face'? Does he ever call people by their actual names?" Bruce rhetorically asked. He didn't need to read Bakugo's lips to know what he was saying. He yelled loud enough for the whole stadium to hear.

"So who do you think is going to win?" Clark asked. "I think it'll be Bakugo," Diana said, "Those explosions are no joke." "I think Kaminari will win. His electricity covers a large area," Wally said. "I don't know," Hal interjected, "Both of them have pretty strong Quirks." "You serious? Bakugo will just blow the other guy off the stage," stated Shayera. "..." J'onn did not partake in the discussion.

Bruce boredly rested his head in his hand. "Bakugo." He held up his other hand with all five fingers spread out. "Five seconds." His friends glanced at him then back at the stage.

"Start!"

Electricity crackled to life around Denki. If he wanted a chance at getting a hit on his classmate, he would have to attack from the very beginning.

"Indiscriminate Shock: 1.3 Million Volts!"

As the volts rushed towards Bakugo, the blonde snarled and blasted off into the air. He was high enough that the electricity couldn't even reach him.

"Whee? Whee?" Denki murmured as he short-circuited his brain. Katsuki rocketed at him.

"Trying to pull a fast one on me, huh? Well, that isn't going to work on me, idiot!"

He skidded to a halt while drawing an open hand back. His hand slammed into Kaminari's face. Bakugo unleashed an explosion that sent his classmate flying back off the stage and into a wall. The blonde slid down, scorch marks on his face and smoke emitting from it.

"... Whee?"

"Bakugo advances to the second round!" Midnight announced.

As the crowds cheered, Bakugo shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. "Tch! Wasn't even a fucking fight."

Bruce casually counted his fingers. "Four seconds. I underestimated Bakugo." The teen glanced out of the corner of his eye. He could see that his friends were wondering how he predicted the outcome so easily. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Kaminari's electric Quirk is indeed powerful however he displays little to no sense of actually directing it. All he is capable of doing is unleashing it in a large area but it is lacking much vertical reach. Bakugo, in contrast, shows far more capability when Quirk. He not only uses it for combat but also movement. He could use it to dodge Kaminari's attack and then go in for his own assault." Bruce placed his hand on his chin. "Though I didn't think that Kaminari's Quirk would have such a side-effect."

Clark quirked an eyebrow. "You sure like observing other people's Quirks, Wayne." His friend glanced at him then rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess you could call it a hobby of mine. I just can't help but observe the strengths and weaknesses of others." Bruce tilted his head to one side. "I can help them improve…" He tilted it the other way. "... or I can use it to my advantage." He looked at his friends again. "I've already compiled my findings on all of you, along with the rest of Class 0-JL." His friends just stared at him in bewilderment. "Wow. You are both amazing and scary," Shayera said.

* * *

Bruce's skills couldn't help predict how the next round would end.

"I didn't expect her to turn the match into a live advertisement," he said as he sweatdropped with his friends. _Though when you think about it, this entire sports festival is basically an advertisement for upcoming heroes._

Diana stood up, drawing their attention. She smiled. "Well, I'm up next!" Bruce blinked. "Oh, that's right. You're going up against 1-A's Yuga Aoyama." He nodded at her. "Good luck!" She beamed at him. "Thanks! I'll win this!"

* * *

"Let's get on to the fifth match!" Present Mic announced.

"Even though he wears a belt, he doesn't transform! From the hero course: Yuga Aoyama!"

"Boujour," the blonde greeted with a wink.

"Versus- Don't let her princessy looks fool you because she's far from fragile! From the hero course: Diana Prince!"

"I won't promise to go easy on you, so do the same for me."

From the stands, Bruce said, "Prince has got this. No way is Aoyama going to land even a scratch on her."

"Get her, Aoyama!" a voice shouted from over the wall separating 1-A and 0-JL. "Beat her up like in the fighting games where their clothes rip off!"

Bruce felt something inside snap and before he knew it, he was up and walking towards the wall while snagging the straw out of Wally's drink. When he got to the wall, Bruce immediately jumped and hoisted himself up with one arm. He quickly pinpointed the source of the atrocious words and threw the straw straight at him.

Mineta stopped talking when the straw struck his temple, throwing his head to the side. There was stunned silence for a beat. Then Mineta fainted in his seat, blood flowing out of the straw.

"Gah! What the hell?!" Eijiro exclaimed. Everyone turned to see who knocked out their classmate and flinched when they saw Bruce.

His eyes were narrowed, his icy blue irises practically glowing with shadows surrounding them, and his scowl dark like black ink.

"I will not stand for such lewd comments directed at Prince. Warn him of that," the teen commanded.

"Ah, r-right," Tenya replied with a nervous half-chop.

Bruce lowered himself and was soon out of sight.

"That seemed a bit overkill, Wayne," a voice said.

"He deserved it, Adams. Filthy sex-crazed pig-rat, swish."

"Now that's just harsh, Curry."

Class 1-A glanced at each other.

"Let's try to never piss off Wayne. Agreed?" Kirishima asked. His classmates nodded or voiced their agreement.

"I feel bad for the person who has to fight him," Kyoka said.

Mina moaned and dropped her face into her hands. "It's me," she whined.

Mostly everyone gave her sympathetic glances.

* * *

The match started, and Aoyama immediately fired off a laser shot at Diana. She easily dodged.

"Hmm. So that fancy belt isn't just for show," Diana commented.

"Indeed. It helps me control my Naval Laser so I wear it everyday."

The blonde fired off more lasers, one after another, but the girl continued to dodge swiftly.

 _I can't just keep avoiding his attacks. Time will run out._ She jumped over another beam. _Think. What would Wayne do?_

Her mind perked up.

 _Observe!_

Diana focused in on her opponent while keeping enough concentration on dodging.

 _His Quirk is obviously best for long-ranged attacks. Judging from his physique, he isn't much of a fighter. If I can get in close, I can end it with hand-to-hand._

She dodged underneath a laser blast.

 _But there isn't any cover on this stage. Unless…_

She glanced down at her hand pressed to the ground.

 _I make some of my own!_

Diana drew her fist back and smashed it into the concrete. Yuga paused in confusion but quickly got into battle posture when she stood up with two sizable chunks of stage in hand.

"You can either aim at me or at these!" she exclaimed as she chucked them at her opponent.

Aoyama panicked a bit at the large projectiles and quickly blew them to bits. By then, Diana had covered a good amount of the distance between them. She grabbed a bit of debris that fell when the thrown concrete was destroyed.

"You said something interesting earlier…"

 _It helps me control my Naval Laser so I wear it everyday._

"If you have to wear that belt everyday, you probably can't really use your Quirk if it's damaged!"

Diana threw the rock right at the center of Aoyama's belt, completely shattering the lens.

The blonde gasped dramatically. "My-My belt!"

"Now to end this!"

Diana delivered a punishing knuckle sandwich that knocked her opponent flat on his back.

"Aoyama has fainted! Prince advances to the second round!"

"Yeah! You did it, Prince!" cheered Clark. The rest of Class 0-JL was cheering as well. This was the first fight one of their own was in, and she had won.

The next fight also featured a classmate of theirs, but they would have to wait and see if he was victorious, too.

* * *

Izuku scribbled away in his notebook. He had made pages for his entire class and now had pages for other U.A. students.

"The match ended like I expected, but Prince demonstrated more strategic thinking than I thought. I saw her demonstrate excellent physical abilities against the robots but never saw any sort of plan. She just went in punching and kicking." The green-haired teen tapped the paper with his pencil. "Probably because this time she was up against another person." Izuku watched as Diana walked off the stage. "She is friends with Wayne…"

* * *

"You did great out there, Prince!" Shayera exclaimed. She raised her hand up for a high-five which Diana happily gave. "Thanks! I was a bit nervous because those lasers looked like they would hurt, but I won!"

"I didn't doubt you would win, but I was worried about how you would handle the lack of cover on the stage. That plan you came up with was clever. I'm impressed." Bruce sent her a gentle smirk. Diana's cheeks turned light pink.

"Oh! Well, I was just thinking about what you said earlier about observing others and just… applied it! Heh."

Bruce's smirk disappeared as his expression morphed into surprise. A blush lit up on his pale cheeks.

He and Diana shared awkward eye contact then she quickly plopped down in her seat that conveniently placed Clark between them. The other black-haired teen glanced confusingly between his friends who weren't looking at each other. Wally also looked confused while Hal and Shayera snickered. J'onn rolled his eyes at the laughing duo

* * *

"On to the sixth match, everyone!"

"The dark samurai with offense and defense in one body! From the hero course: Fumikage Tokoyami!"

"Jason," the bird-headed teen greeted.

"Versus- The knight in black armor who holds offense and defense in the same sword! From the hero course: Jason Blood!"

"Fumikage," the red-and-white-haired teen replied.

"It is unfortunate that we meet on opposing sides of this battlefield, Jason," Fumikage lamented.

"It cannot be helped, I'm afraid, Fumikage," Jason replied. "I hope our friendship isn't severed by my victory though."

"That is quite arrogant of you to proclaim you've won before we've even begun. Still you should know our bond cannot be broken by something so trivial."

"You never know how competition will alter a person, Fumikage. And if you want to prove me as conceited, then have Dark Shadow hit me with everything."

"As you wish. I shall ask the same from Etrigan."

"You know he'd be eager to concur."

* * *

"What do you think of this match, Midoriya?" Ojiro asked his classmate.

"I think it will come down to who has more skill," Izuku replied.

"Skill?"

Deku nodded. "From the announcement, both Tokoyami and Blood's Quirks are suitable for offense and defense." He thought back to the times he had seen Blood's Quirk in action. "They are very similar as well. Whoever has the better chance to get a hit in will likely win."

* * *

"Start!"

"Go, Dark Shadow!" The sentient darkness emerged from Tokoyami. "Got it!"

"Now, Etrigan!" Familiar red claws surfaced through Jason's chest but this time they parted way as if ripping through him and something more emerged from him. "Very well!"

The two Quirks clashed in the center, their hands interlocking and the heads pressed together. While Dark Shadow reflected Tokoyami's bird-like appearance, Jason's Quirk did not.

Though the head was more humanoid, there were elven ear-like protrusions on the sides and horn-like nubs on the forehead. The eyes and mouth were glowing red and the mouth was in a wide open smile. There were four "fangs": two on the top and two on the bottom.

"Nice to see you again. I'll be sure to kick your ass this time!" Dark Shadow declared.

"My victory is guaranteed, birdbrain. Prepare yourself for absolute pain!" came the reply.

The Quirks remained in a stalemate for a few seconds before falling back.

"Whaaat!?" Izuku exclaimed. He wasn't the only one surprised. Class 1-A had thought Tokoyami was one of a kind. Sentient Quirks like Dark Shadow were extremely rare. What were the chances of another student in U.A. possessing one?

 **Jason Blood**

 **Quirk: Etrigan**

 **His body is the host of a demonic entity.**

 **He can call it out and back whenever he wants.**

"Still rhyming, huh? So lame!" Dark Shadow exclaimed as it launched itself at Etrigan and Jason.

"You have no appreciation for literature art. Perhaps it proves you lack my smarts?" Etrigan said as he aimed a swipe at Dark Shadow which it blocked.

"Shut up, bastard!"

The bird-shaped Quirk slammed into the demon-shaped one, pushing its opponent back a bit. However, Etrigan soon slowly pushed forward, once again locking them in a stalemate.

Though they appeared to be even, Fumikage sweated nervously.

 _Like I thought, he still is stronger than me._ He glanced at Jason, who stood tall with his arms crossed and his face set in his usual frown. _Etrigan does not have the same weakness as Dark Shadow. As long as Jason's energy remains steady, it will eventually overpower Dark Shadow._

"Oi, Fumikage."

The bird-headed teen's attention was drawn away from the Quirks clashing back to his opponent.

"You didn't think I would just allow Etrigan to fight, did you?"

Tokoyami flinched as Jason's scowl switched to a sneer that revealed his sharp teeth. He began a slow walk that evolved into a sprint. The shorter teen brought up an arm to block to punch. He quickly dodged the uppercut that barely grazed his chin. Tokoyami was unable to avoid the kick Jason sent to his side. The wind was knocked out of him and he was thrown back.

"Alright! Blood is getting up close and personal!" Present Mic exclaimed. Meanwhile, the two other heroes with him side-eyed each other.

"Their Quirks are remarkably similar. But there is clearly a difference in terms of their physical abilities," Aizawa said.

Dr. Mid-Nite nodded. "Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is an excellent Quirk of high offensive and defensive stats. But Blood not only outclasses him there but also in his own strengths."

Aizawa watched as his student dodged a heel kick from Jason only to be hit by the following punch from the side of his opponent's fist. Their Quirks continued their own clash, twisting and slashing. Whenever Dark Shadow made a move to assist Tokoyami, Etrigan interfered.

"Tokoyami relies too heavily on his Quirk. If Dark Shadow were to be incapacitated, he'll be left vulnerable," said Aizawa. He was silent for a beat and then asked, "Even _if_ this helps the others improve, is it really best for **your** students to be participating with them?" He turned to his fellow hero.

"We can't separate them from the other students. Not only would that alert them that something is amiss, but we have to observe them to see if they possess the other half of necessary qualifications," Mid-Nite answered. "And if you're worried about any negative side-effects on your students…" He turned to Aizawa.

"Then we will tackle those issues _if_ they show up."

Present Mic sat there, off-put by their conversation as he continued to watch the fight.

The bird-headed teen grunted as Jason drove his fist into his stomach.

"Dammit…!"

He tried to aim a clumsy roundhouse kick at the other teen but Jason simply hopped back and it missed.

"A valiant attempt but futile."

Jason sent his own powerful roundhouse kick at Fumikage. It hit him right below the chest, knocking him back and onto the ground.

 _Dark Shadow!_

"Dammit!" The Quirk rushed at his user only for Etrigan to wrap around it and grab its arms.

"Your fight is against me. They shall finish when Jason wins as it be."

"Hands off!" Dark Shadow struggled to escape Etrigan's grip.

 _Damn. Dark Shadow is completely occupied by Etrigan._ Tokoyami got back to his feet. _I'm on my own against Jason._ He dodged a punch directed right at his beak. He sent one at Jason's face however it was caught. Tokoyami was pulled in and the other teen rammed his knee into his chest. The bird-headed teen coughed.

"Apologies, Fumikage."

"Wha-?"

A punch met his cheek and hit him with such force that Tokoyami actually spun once before falling into his side.

"Tokoyami is out of bounds! Blood advances to the second round!" Midnight announced.

The downed teen looked and saw that his upper body had fallen over the boundary lines. He sighed and sat up, his arm resting on his knee while he wiped his mouth. "I lost. You won without even an abrasion."

Jason was silent then said, "I did not come out unscathed." Tokoyami then heard it. The sound of something dripping into a puddle. He quickly looked up.

Blood ran down Jason's forearm, staining the cut bandages. Already a small pool had formed below his fingertips. "Dark Shadow got a decent hit on Etrigan." The red-and-white-haired teen raised his arm, allowing Tokoyami to see the claw marks in his skin. "You may have lost this match but showed you're stronger now. This is a victory in the long run."

As he lowered his arm, Etrigan retracted back to his user. Dark Shadow did the same. Jason held out his other hand towards Fumikage. He sent a friendly smirk at him.

"Need a hand?"

Tokoyami blinked then softly laughed.

"Reminiscing, now?"

* * *

 _Tokoyami walked down the empty hallway. He had transferred to this middle school this year as several unpleasant classmates from elementary had ruined his first year at his previous one. If he kept his Quirk a secret, then hopefully no one would target him._

 _'Those jerks… calling us villains from the very start…!' Dark Shadow seethed inside his head._

 _Tokoyami jerked out of his mind when he heard something strange from around the corner. It sounded like a struggle. His footsteps quickened but remained quiet. He slowly peeked around the corner. What he saw caused his eyes to widen._

 _There were three students surrounding another one, a guy smaller than them. The leader of the group was holding the guy against the wall by the collar of his uniform._

 _"You've got something to say, Blood? What was that look you gave me?"_

 _The larger boy slammed his victim against the wall._

 _The guy grunted then said, "It meant nothing. I have no reason to talk with you because I know it would end up like this."_

 _"Shut up!"_

 _The bully let the guy go only to sock him in the cheek. The student was knocked to the ground and as he struggled to get up, the bully drove his shoe into his side._

 _"Don't think you can talk to me like that, you future villain!"_

 _Tokoyami's grip on the wall tightened at those last words. He had heard them too many times since his Quirk manifested when he was four. Though he had hesitated before now he walked out, making his presence known._

 _"Hey."_

 _The three bullies turned to him, their expressions like angry children who had been told playtime was over._

 _"Let's go," the leader said._

 _Tokoyami watched as they disappeared down the hall. Once they were gone, he quickly walked up to the guy still lying on the ground. He looked up at him through his bangs. The bird-headed teen noticed that there was a thin streak of white in all that crimson. There was a trail of blood running down his chin and his cheek was swollen. He could now see that this guy's eye had some bruising around it and was squinted almost shut._

 _They stared at each other awkwardly and Tokoyami outstretched a hand towards him._

 _"Need a hand?"_

* * *

That's how it had all started. Jason had first tried to convince Fumikage to avoid being seen with him since that would cause the bullies to target him too. However, Fumikage refused and managed to convince him to reveal his Quirk. That's how Dark Shadow met Etrigan. Once they started hanging out the bullying gradually stopped though the whispering behind their backs didn't. That did not bother them anymore.

As they grew older, Jason and Fumikage learned they both shared the dream of becoming a hero. They wanted to prove that people with "villain" Quirks could be heroes. So they made a promise to each other that they would get to U.A. and become pros together. The two were disappointed when they discovered they were in different classes but were nevertheless happy they had succeeded in getting to their dream school.

Tokoyami pulled himself out of memories to grab onto his friend's hand. Jason pulled up easily. "You always were stronger than me." Jason gestured to the wounds on his arm. "It appears I've been neglecting Etrigan. You've surpassed me in terms of Quirk strength." As soon as he said that, Dark Shadow sprouted out of Tokoyami's back.

"Hah! Take that you rhyming loser! Jason admits you're weaker than me!"

Etrigan quickly sprouted out of Jason's back.

"Shut up, he admitted he was at fault! You only managed to get one measly scratch in through your whole assault!"

The sentient Quirks smashed their foreheads together.

"What you say, bullhead?!"

"Your attempts to surpass me are in vain! You are the loser here, birdbrain!"

"That's enough, you two!" their users said in unison. The Quirks clash had ended up pulling them closer. Dark Shadow huffed but pulled back. Etrigan also retreated, resting his hands on Jason's shoulders. He turned his attention back to his friend.

"You still have room to improve but so do I. Let's train together after this is over," Jason said. Fumikage nodded and replied, "I would appreciate that. Thank you."

Jason and Tokoyami bumped the sides of their fists, then their forearms, and finally fist-bumped. The bird-headed teen smile and his friend gave him a friendly sneer that showed off his sharp teeth.

"What a glorious display of sportsmanship! Let's give a hand for both participants!" Present Mic exclaimed.

The whole stadium cheered as the two boys left together.

* * *

Meanwhile in the stands, Deku was stunned by what happened.

"Tokoyami is amazing but Blood managed to force him out of bounds by attacking him directly with hand-to-hand."

Ojiro nodded. "The difference between them was that great."

Izuku glanced at Jason. "Still Blood did get injured. But… Dark Shadow never came near. And Tokoyami couldn't have caused that.

* * *

Bruce watched as his classmate disappeared into the exit.

 _The wound on his arm. It's like when that girl's acid hit his Quirk's arm. The burns showed up on Blood._

Bruce glanced at the screen. _The next fight after this one will be mine._

* * *

As Uraraka stepped out of the waiting room, Iida called out to her.

"Uraraka, I-" He startled when he saw her intense expression. "What happened?! Your brow's all wrinkled!"

"My brow? Ah, I guess I'm just nervous. It's time for my fight."

Iida nodded. "Right. And you're up against Class 0-JL's Nathaniel Adams."

Ochaco nodded as she thought back to when she saw Adams use his Quirk. How he could create energy that could propel him and destroy robots in a single blast. How he managed to temporarily knock out Bakugo in a single punch.

"Yeah, even though he seems to be nice, I'm still scared. Though, I think after watching your fight…"

"My fight?"

Footsteps rushed over. "Uraraka!" The two students turned towards the voice.

"Deku! What are you doing here?" the brunette asked.

"I came here to wish you luck. You're going up against Adams. He has a strong energy-projection Quirk."

Uraraka nodded. "... Yeah."

The air was a bit tense to Tenya tried lessening it. "Well, Adams does not seem like the type to go all out on a girl."

"He will." Deku's friends flinched at his blunt answer. "You're right. Adams doesn't seem like the violent type. But he can't afford to hold back. Right now everyone wants to be No. 1, so no one will avoid giving it their all."

He turned back to Uraraka. "You've helped me a lot through all this, so now I want to help you." Izuku lifted up his notebook. "I have a rough plan of how you can use your Quirk against Adams. I used Kacchan in his place, since how they use their Quirks is very similar."

"Amazing! Isn't that great, Uraraka?" Tenya sent her a double thumbs-up.

The girl smiled then said, "Thank you Deku. But it's fine." Her friends looked at her in surprise. "I've seen you do amazing things over and over Deku. And in the cavalry battle… I think I relied on you too much. So I was a bit embarrassed when Iida challenged you." She pushed off from the door and walked down the hall.

"That's why it's fine. Everyone is trying their hardest. That makes us all rivals, right? So…"

Uraraka stopped walking and turned to her friends, forcing a smile. She gave a shaky thumbs-up while her eyes shined with a fire.

"Let's meet in the finals."

"... Uraraka."

Meanwhile in parallel, Nathaniel stepped out of the other waiting room. He looked down as he flexed his hand and then began walking down the hall.

 _I will win. I'm sorry, Uraraka._

* * *

It was the next match of the round. Bruce watched as his classmate walked out to face his opponent.

"This match-up seems… kinda unbalanced, don't you think?" Clark asked.

"I don't think so. That gravity-manipulation Quirk of her's could end this fight in one touch," Diana pointed out.

"She would need to touch Adams first," J'onn deadpanned.

Bruce stared down at the stage. _I don't want to sell her short, but unless she comes up with something, Adams will win this for sure._

* * *

Deku and Tenya watched their friend approached the stage. The former tensed up as she walked up the stairs. Tenya glanced at him.

"Midoriya, don't worry. I'm sure Uraraka will be… fine."

"You hesitated. I don't blame you. We've already seen two 0-JL students win. Prince demonstrated high physical capabilities and Blood managed to beat one of our strongest classmates." He glanced at the wall separating his class from 0-JL. "I can't help but feel there's something different about them."

* * *

"Let's get the eighth match of the first round ready!" said Present Mic.

"He showed great promise in the beginning of the festival! From the hero course: Nathaniel Adams! Versus- She's the one I'm personally rooting for. From the hero course: Ochaco Uraraka!"

As soon as the Voice Hero finished his announcement, Dr. Mid-Nite slipped his arm out of the sling and smacked the blonde in the back of his head with his casted arm. He did so without moving the rest of his body.

"OWW! What was that for!?" Mic exclaimed, massaging his head.

"Favoritism is not appreciated," the other hero coldly said as he placed his arm back in its sling. Mic flinched and awkwardly turned back to the stage.

"Uraraka, you can make objects float with just a touch, right?" Nathaniel asked.

His opponent flinched at his question. "Uh, yeah?"

The other teen nodded. "It will only be fair if I told you some details about my Quirk." He formed a small ball of energy in the palm of his hand. "I can emit radiation and use it for attacks." He tossed the sphere to his other hand and with a flick of his wrist, reabsorbed it. "Don't worry, it's non-radioactive so it won't cause you any horrific mutations."

Uraraka nodded. "Alright, thanks." In her head though she thought, _That didn't really tell me much from what I already know._ She replayed him creating the radiation sphere. _He seems to be able to manipulate the shape of the energy. He might not be limited to explosions like Bakugo._

* * *

"So, who's going to win this?" Clark asked.

Bruce leaned forward a bit while keeping his head resting on his hand. "Adams has the highest chance of winning. His Quirk grants him great maneuverability in a large, open field. The radiation he produces is near unlimited and his high stamina will allow him to produce it for a long period of time without wearing out. Adams also isn't just strong in terms of his Quirk." Bruce thought back to when his classmate punched Bakugo. "He is physically strong as well though I've never seen his capability in hand-to-hand." He turned his gaze to Uraraka. "But if she manages to touch him and make him float, she will have the upper hand. So if Uraraka wants to win, then she has to attack quickly without getting hit first."

* * *

"Start!"

Uraraka immediately came running at the other teen. Nathaniel's eyes widened a bit before narrowing. He shifted his stance and drew one of his hands back.

 _He's going for a wide swing!_

Nathaniel's fingers spread and small amount of red-speckled blue energy erupted in his palm.

 _Right here! I just have to dodge here!_

The brunette ducked close to the ground.

 _... As I thought._

The energy went out and Nathaniel shifted, allowing a surprised Uraraka to run past him. He drew his other arm forward and delivered a backward hit. The side of his fist struck her right between the shoulder blades. She was knocked down and skidded a bit. When she propped herself on her elbows, Ochaco was met by a large blast heading straight at her. It hit and she was thrown back even further along with dust and pieces of the stage. Once she finished rolling and got back on her feet, Nathaniel said, "I knew you would try to pull a fast one on me, so I'm going to make sure you don't get the chance."

* * *

"He feinted a swing so he could get a hit in. That also allowed him to get a solid hit with his Quirk," Bruce casually observed.

 _Like I thought, he isn't going to hold back. Uraraka…_ thought Izuku.

* * *

The dust continued to billow around the stage. _I want to end this quickly, but I don't want to hurt her badly._ Energy flickered to life in both of his hands. _It cannot be helped._

Uraraka disappeared, using the dust as a smokescreen. Nathaniel cursed. Then he saw something begin to emerge near his side.

"It's over!"

The silver-haired teen cupped his hands together, combining the energy and releasing a wide range blast. Once it subsided, Nathaniel was surprised to see it was just his opponent's uniform top that fluttered over the boundary line. _She made her jacket float that fast?_

Footsteps came and Ochaco burst out of the dust behind him. Her hand reached out towards Nathaniel.

 _This is it! Just got to make him float!_

"Tch!"

Nathaniel pivoted, releasing a roundhouse kick. Only this kick wasn't meant to hit her. Instead, energy spilled out of the slots of his hero costume boots, sending an arc of radiation at his opponent. It struck her and cut through the stage as well.

Ochaco quickly stood up again. _He's fast. This smokescreen won't be of much help to me._ But she couldn't give up. She rushed at him again.

The other teen gritted his teeth and charged up another blast. With a swing, he sent a wave that tore the concrete and threw her back again.

"Take this!"

Nathaniel propelled himself upward, back-flipping over Uraraka as she lunged at him. Radiation covered the sole of his foot, and he slammed it against her back. The blast knocked her to the ground while the recoil sent him higher into the air. The teen flipped and landed in a crouch a good distance away. As the opponents stood up and faced each other, it was obvious who had the upper hand. Nathaniel was barely breathing hard while Ochaco was panting and covered in scrapes and bruises.

The boy frowned at her determined expression. _Dammit. She's not done yet._

* * *

The stadium watched as Uraraka kept running at her opponent only for him to blow her back with attack after attack and each time the blasts got bigger and bigger. Dust and debris continued to fly.

Class 1-A watched tensely as Uraraka continued to try to close in on Nathaniel only to receive more wounds.

"That guy really shows no mercy," said Denki.

"With his reflexes and strength, Uraraka doesn't have much of a chance since her Quirk's touch-activated," Sero commented.

Kyoka buried her face into her hands. "I can't watch!"

Izuku and Tenya looked on anxiously as their friend endured another hit.

 _Uraraka…_

Meanwhile, Class 0-JL was also tense. They knew their class rep was a good guy, but it was uncomfortable to see him have to use so much power on a girl.

"His attacks don't really look like attacks. It's more like he's trying to push her away," said Clark.

"She's getting desperate. She's just rushing in recklessly," Hal said.

Bruce watched quietly as Uraraka ran at Nathaniel again. _Strange. She's awfully low to the ground. That makes evading Adams' attacks difficult. Unless…_ His blue eyes glanced up to the sky. _... Clever._

* * *

Nathaniel unleashed another blast. He cursed when he saw that the scrapes Ochaco got, as a result, bled a bit.

 _I don't want to hurt her too much… but if winning requires causing her pain so be it._

She rushed at him and he counterattacked again.

"Hey, you want to be a hero like that!? Just hurry up and send her out of bounds instead of messing with her!" someone shouted from the stands.

Nathaniel gritted his teeth. _Just what the hell do you think I'm actually doing? If I don't use some power, I'll just let her get me!_ He sent another arc of radiation at her. _I want to be nice, but she isn't some damsel in distress!_

"Quit bullying that poor girl!" the same voice shouted.

"Yeah!" another agreed.

Soon booing erupted from the stands.

Nathaniel winced. "Dammit…"

* * *

"Tch!"

The harsh tone caused Bruce's friends to jolt and glanced at him. They were taken aback by how utterly pissed he looked. His icy blue eyes narrowed and teeth gritted into a snarl.

"Was the idiot who started this a pro hero? Such nonsense!" he scoffed.

"Wayne…" Diana trailed off.

"So what, Adams should go easy on her because she's a girl? How insulting is that?"

His friends did not respond.

* * *

"There appears to be booing from the crowd. To be honest, I feel the sa-"

Present Mic was cut off by a harsh elbow to the face.

"What are you doing?!" he exclaimed as Dr. Mid-Nite picked up the microphone.

"Who said he was just messing with her? Are you a pro?" Dr. Mid-Nite angrily asked. The stadium quieted and he continued. "If that's what you really think, then there's no reason for you to be here! Just go home and find a new angle in careers!"

Bruce glanced up to his teacher out of the corner of his eye. "At least there are pros with more than half a brain."

"Adams acknowledges the strength of his opponent so he's being careful and doing what is necessary to win!"

Mid-Nite lowered the microphone and sat back down.

"Yamada."

The blonde flinched and looked over to his colleague. The glare of his goggles shifted, revealing his angry eyes. "I'll say this one more time: nothing that is solely destructive to my students' growth will be tolerated." Present Mic swallowed and nodded before turning away.

"Don't you think that was a bit much?" the muffled voice of Aizawa asked.

"Please, you would have done the same if it was one of yours, Aizawa," came the reply.

"... Right."

* * *

Nathaniel let out a sigh. "Thank you, Sensei," he whispered. He returned his entire attention to Uraraka. She was breathing heavily and looked completely worn out, but she glared back at him with fire in her eyes. _She's not done yet. She can still fight!_

"It's about time… now…" Uraraka straightened her posture causing Nathaniel to tense. "Thank you, Adams… for not taking your eyes off me…"

"What?"

* * *

Bruce leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. "There is no excuse for a pro hero to not notice what's been going on." His friends turned to him. "She's been purposefully keeping herself low whenever she advances, forcing Adams to concentrate his attacks on the ground. She did so to store up ammunition," Bruce looked up to the sky, "and she distracted him with relentless attacks so he wouldn't notice."

His friends followed his gaze and their jaws dropped when they saw the amount of concrete debris floating above the stage.

* * *

"I'm going to win!"

Uraraka deactivated her Quirk's effect, causing all the rubble to start falling down.

"A meteor shower?!" exclaimed Present Mic.

"You should've noticed," his co-commenters said in unison.

As the rubble continued to fall, Ochaco took off towards her opponent, who stood seemingly stunned.

 _Now even if he evades or counterattacks, there will be an opening! At that moment, I'll make my move!_

She drew closer and Nathaniel just stood there.

 _This is it! I'll win and be just like Deku!_

She reached out towards her opponent.

"... Damn."

For a split second, Nathaniel's entire body lit up and then a massive explosion expanded from his body. The spherical blast threw Uraraka back and was able to reach over the sides of the stage nearest to Nathaniel. Grass and dirt were torn up and the resulting winds blew everyone back. Exclaims of surprise rang through the air. Class 0-JL was shocked by this sudden display of power. Even Bruce though he retained a poker face like a couple few.

Every single bit of debris was blown back with some even hitting the outer frame of the stadium and beyond. The radiation dissipated leaving behind a few red sparks that eventually died.

Ochaco, sore and completely worn out, winced as she pushed herself off the ground, the remains of her plan raining down around her.

"I didn't think you would actually push me to go all out… but you finally did."

The dust cleared, showing Nathanial standing there without a single scratch. Flickers of radiation danced along his forearms and shoulders. They also appeared on his face near his eyes as well as in his hair with many tips seemingly transitioning into energy flames.

Ochaco's face fell. "Just one shot…"

Nathaniel also looked a bit sad. "I'm sorry, Uraraka. This whole time, I thought I could win without seriously hurting you. But… I just gave you false hope. I should have used my full power from the very start."

As he finished his words, the wisps of radiation intensified a bit, growing in size before shrinking back down.

Uraraka stared in disbelief. _I put everything I had into that plan… but he wasn't even fazed. And… only now did he just use his full power…_ Her head fell in distress. _The difference between us is just… too great!_ The girl slowly struggled to her feet. _Even so…_

Nathaniel's expression tightened and he raised a hand.

Uraraka quickly turned towards him. _If it were him, Deku wouldn't-!_

Her knees gave out and Nathaniel gasped as she collapsed to the ground. When she landed with a "Thud!", he immediately took a step forward but caught himself and backtracked.

"Uraraka's down!"

The girl twitched and struggled onto her front. "My body… it's hard… to move…"

Bruce watched with his usual nonchalant expression. "That plan of hers was way beyond her limit. It's over."

Uraraka pulled herself across the ground, barely crawling towards her opponent, who took another step back while raising his hand.

"I… can still…!"

 _When I grow up, I'll help you and Mommy!_

Her vision began to blur.

"I'll… become… a hero…"

Midnight came over and knelt by the girl. Nathaniel relaxed his posture.

"... Daddy…"

The other teen sucked in his lower lip when he heard her whisper.

"Uraraka is out of commission. Adams advances to the second round!"

As the crowds cheered, Nathaniel allowed his radiation to die down. He inhaled then let out a long breath. Despite the applause and his victory, he looked downhearted.

* * *

"Adams looks really sad," Wally said.

"He did essentially have to beat up a girl. Plus… I think he feels bad because he understands her goal," said Diana.

Clark nodded. "Yeah…"

Bruce was quiet. _As I thought, Adams won… but I underestimated Uraraka. There's more to her than I thought._ He watched his classmate walk off the stage. _... Adams._ He glanced at the screen.

 _Oh, that's right. My fight is next._

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

We continue on to see who fights who.

How will the clashes between 1-A and 0-JL go?

Next Time: **Press Continue**

There's a lashing of words also in store.

* * *

 **So the original idea was to have DC characters replace 1-A so that's why some parallel each other. It's pretty obvious that Jason was meant to be Tokoyami's replacement.**


	6. Press Continue

Deku made his way to the waiting room Uraraka was in. Even if this meant missing the next fight, he had to check up on his friend. However, when he turned the corner he saw the last person he would have expected.

Nathaniel froze as their eyes locked, his knuckles mere centimeters from knocking on the door.

"Oh! Ah, Midoriya, right? You're friends with Uraraka."

Deku nodded dumbly. "A-Adams. What are you doing here?" The other teen looked away, almost shamefully. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just… want to check up on her… I want to make sure she's okay."

The silence was awkward. Deku walked up to the door. "Alright, let's see her together." The other teen looked a bit surprised but he nodded. Both of them braced themselves for the sight of a devastated girl.

Deku opened the door.

Uraraka looked up from the table and smiled. "Well, I lost…"

Izuku and Nathaniel gawked at her. This was far from what they expected to see.

"Huh…?"

"Uraraka…? Are you alright? How are your injuries?" the green-haired teen asked as he walked in. She nodded. "Recovery Girl healed me. It wasn't too bad, so it didn't drain my stamina." Nathaniel glanced away. "Well, that's a relief," he murmured.

Uraraka finally noticed him. "Adams? Why are you here?" The other teen looked up at her. "I just wanted to see if you were all right. I was worried I had badly hurt you."

The brunette smiled. "Well, you can see I'm completely fine. It was just some scrapes and bruises." Her expression then changed to comedically frustrated. "Man, but you were really strong, Adams! You absolutely overpowered me! I'll have to work extra hard!" She shook her fist. After a beat, Uraraka realized the two were still looking at her with concern.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked her classmate.

"I'm fine, really!" she reassured him. Her phone began vibrating, but she held it close to muffle it. "After all, you immediately looked ahead. Just because I lose now doesn't mean I've completely lost."

Nathaniel stood awkwardly, shuffling from foot to foot. He just couldn't leave here without saying something, anything.

"Uraraka… I'm-!"

"I thought I'd find you here."

The new voice startled everyone and they all looked over to see Bruce standing at the door. "Glad I caught you before you did anything stupid."

Nathaniel stuttered, "W-Wayne? What are you-"

"My fight is next. I went to the other waiting room and didn't see you there. We need to talk Adams."

"But I-"

 **"Now."**

The finality in Bruce's tone silenced his classmate. Before he followed him out, Nathaniel said, "I… hope you get better, Uraraka." As Bruce began to close the door, he paused and said, "I never expected such a plan from you, Uraraka. You impressed me." With that, he closed the door, leaving Deku and Ochaco in silence.

* * *

Bruce and Nathaniel walked quietly before the latter asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You were going to apologize to her." It wasn't a question. It was a definite statement.

Bruce's classmate glanced at him. "Yeah…?"

"You shouldn't." Nathaniel stared in shock, so Bruce continued. "What's there to apologize about? You won, she lost. That's it."

The silver-haired teen felt a spark of anger at Bruce's words. "I was apologizing for hurting her, Wayne. What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong is that there no reason for you to say sorry."

"Oh, so crushing someone else's dream is totally fine to you then?"

The two stopped walking. Ice blue glared into pure white.

"... Tell me, Adams, what even is happening right now?"

Nathaniel was confused by the question and it showed. "The… sports festival?"

"Yes. And what is the goal of all the current participants?"

"... To be No. 1?"

"Yes. But here's the thing, Adams: only one person can be No. 1. That means that one person is going to crush everyone else's hope of winning this whole thing."

The other teen was silent.

"It's the same out there in the hero world. Everyone wants to be No. 1 but that position can only be held by one. So a lot of people's dreams are going to be crushed."

Nathaniel remained silent, intimidated by the shorter teen he looked down to.

"Did you want to hurt Uraraka?"

He was startled. "Wha-"

"Did you want to hurt Uraraka?" Bruce repeated.

"W-What!? No! Of course not!" exclaimed Nathaniel.

Bruce's expression returned to his usual stoic. "Then you did nothing wrong. I'm not going to let you beat yourself up by placing yourself in the villain's role."

The other teen was stunned by his declaration and watched as Bruce started walking away to get ready for his fight. "Besides, the fact that you can empathize with her shows you're a good person."

And then he was out of sight.

"... Thanks."

* * *

Nathaniel walked to his class's stands slowly.

"Yo, Adams. Good job out there, swish," greeted Arthur. "Um, thank you, Curry," he replied as he took his seat next to him. "I was actually surprised. You seemed to be having some difficulty with her," the blonde said. Nathaniel glanced at his classmate who just sat with his arms crossed. "Well, I'd never expected she would pull such a crazy plan."

"Still I can't believe he would use such strong blasts on a frail girl. I would've at least held back."

These words from over the wall cut through the rest of the chatter. Nathaniel's hands tightened on his knees and his head dropped.

"Hmph! Like you'd ever have the chance to hold back against anyone. Didn't you get your ass totally beaten by Bakugo?" scoffed Arthur. Clearly he recognized the voice of the electric blonde.

A startled noise sounded over the wall, confirming that the Class 1-A student didn't think anyone over it would have heard him.

"He's got you there, Kaminari," a girl said.

"Come on, Asui, cut me some slack…"

Arthur turned away from the wall. "Don't let that idiot's words get to you, Adams. You used that power because you saw her as a worthy opponent. I respect that."

"Yeah, thanks…"

The blonde noticed the change in his class rep's tone and looked over to him. He was taken aback by the glare in his eyes.

"'Frail' is the last word I'd use to describe her. She led me by the nose the whole time."

* * *

"Alright! Who's ready for the next match?"

The crowd roared.

"Let's get straight to it then! What's with those horns? Does something come out of them? From the hero course: Mina Ashido!"

"You're not still pissed from what Mineta said, right?"

"Versus- He's impressed the masses over and over again. From the hero course: Bruce Wayne!"

Bruce didn't answer and simply stared ahead at her, making Mina shiver.

"Start!"

Bruce immediately took off towards his opponent. She was startled by his sudden burst in speed and quickly readied her acid. She threw two globs at him, but Bruce easily dodged by zigzagging. He pulled out two bats from his belt which had once again seemingly just appeared around his waist. He threw them at Ashido and she quickly melted them. However, those few seconds she wasn't focused on him was all he needed.

Ashido's arms were pinned to her side as sturdy material wrapped around her. Her hands were still free so she couldn't melt through the grapple but she was unable to move them in a way to spread her acid. She let out a surprised yell as her opponent spun her towards the boundary. The grapple unraveled and the pink girl was left spinning on her own feet for a few seconds before she fell down her behind.

"Ashida is out of bounds! Wayne advances to the second round!" announced Midnight.

The crowd roared into cheers. Bruce's friends cheered from the stands.

"Amazing… he won so quickly," Deku said as he scribbled away in his notebook.

Meanwhile, Ashido sighed in disappointment. "I lost…" She heard footsteps approaching her and glanced up to see Bruce holding out a hand to her.

"Your Quirk is very versatile. That forced me to have to think fast and end this quickly." Mina smiled and accepted her opponent's hand.

"Check it out! Wayne shows himself to be a courteous gentleman!" exclaimed Present Mic.

As the crowd cheered, Bruce side-glared at the press box. "Why's he making such a big deal? It's just the considerate thing to do," he murmured. Mina just laughed.

* * *

Afterward, the next fight commenced. This time Bruce was unsure who would win since both opponents were evenly matched. He predicted it would come down to who got in the right hit. In the end, he was sort of correct.

"A tie, huh? That's a first," Clark commented as Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were wheeled away to the nurse's, both knocked out.

"Kent, isn't your fight next?" Bruce asked.

His friend jerked up out of his seat.

"Shoot! I totally forgot!"

* * *

Clark's friends watched as he walked onto the stage to face his opponent, a girl from Class 1-A.

 _That girl, Momo Yaoyorozu, has a Quirk that allows her to create things from her body. An impressive Quirk indeed but unless she produces something that can even scratch Kent, the victory is already his._

"Let's get straight to the next and final match of this round!"

"Eco-friendly Solar Energy! You've seen what he can do from the beginning of the festival! From the hero course: Clark Kent!"

The usually cheerful teen was no longer smiling, but he did nod in acknowledgment of his opponent.

"Versus- All-purpose Creation! She was admitted through recommendations, so her abilities are certified! From the hero course: Momo Yaoyorozu!"

The girl was apprehensive if her body language was anything to go off on.

Bruce eyed her. _She got in through recommendations? That's impressive._ He glanced over his shoulder at the rest of his classmates. _I don't think any one of us got in with recommendations. Perhaps she can win if she manages to somehow get Kent out of bounds. That'd really be her only chance._

* * *

Momo was nervous. Very nervous. She stared at her opponent. _From his Quirk's name, he must benefit from the Sun in some way. I saw what he's been able to do. He's strong. And fast. He will likely go for a head-on attack. If I can create a shield that won't take much time to make… I can give myself enough to-!_

"Final match, start!"

The announcement broke her from her thoughts. Her opponent immediately pushed off the ground straight at her. It looked like he even was floating a few inches off the concrete. His fist was drawn back and he was closing in quickly.

Momo began forming the shield from her forearm and had just finished making it when his fist slammed into it. Her arm was forced against her body, and she struggled to keep her balance as she skidded backward.

Once she came to a stop, she let out a breath and opened her eyes. To her surprise, Clark just stood there not moving.

 _He's… not attacking? Now's my chance!_ She instantly created a staff in her free hand.

"Yaoyorozu! Out of bounds!" announced Midnight.

"What?" The girl looked down to see she was just behind the boundary line, her toes almost touching the white border.

"Kent advances to the second round!"

The crowd cheered and the victorious teen nodded towards his opponent. "Your Quirk is pretty cool. Thanks for the fight." He then turned and walked away. Momo could only watch his retreating form.

"No way… I wasn't able to do anything…"

She had been outclassed again. First by Jordan and now by Kent. Their Quirks were just better hers.

Midoriya along with the rest of his friends was stunned by Clark's overwhelming victory. "Kent's too amazing," he said. "He forced Yaoyorozu out of bounds with one punch. He even aimed his hit at her shield."

Bruce watched the disappointed girl walk off the stage. _Kent definitely held back. He used just enough power to win._ He glanced at his friend. _Usually, I disapprove of such an act… but it would have been unnecessary to knock her back into the wall._

* * *

The final match had ended but the round wasn't over yet. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had to settle their draw with a good old fashion arm wrestling competition. Even though Bruce felt it was very silly, he was intrigued at the performance of Aizawa-sensei's student. His views of Class 1-A had been mixed. A few such as Midoriya, Tokoyami, and Uraraka had managed to actually impress him. Even Bakugo did as much as he hated to admit it. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu had him on the fence. However, he felt indifferent towards Sero, Kaminari, Iida, Aoyama, and Ashido. That was the biggest disappointment for him. He had thought he would have found more 1-A students admirable even if they didn't win.

Eijiro slammed Tetsutetsu's hand down, shattering the concrete podium and securing his position in the second round. Bruce quirked an eyebrow. _Hmm… winning a seemingly evenly-matched duel. Impressive._

* * *

The second round was quickly underway. The opponents of the first match stared across that stage.

"Alright! Let's have a fair fight between men!" Kirishima exclaimed as he punched his fist into his palm. Bruce didn't reply.

"Start!"

Eijiro hardened his body and charged at his opponent. He swung at the other's teen face, but Bruce dodged to the side. Eijiro went for another punch and Bruce just dodged that one, too. This continued for a bit. No matter how many swings Eijiro threw, his opponent always evaded them.

"What is Wayne doing? He isn't fighting back," Clark wondered.

"He's letting Kirishima get in awfully close," Izuku observed, "But he isn't making any offensive moves of his own."

"Tch!" Bakugo scoffed. "Damn Rich Boy is just running away."

Eijiro was also confused. _Why is he just avoiding me? What is he planning?_ He would soon get his answer.

When Bruce dodged his swing this time, he ducked backward. He flipped so he was heading down to the ground. His arms caught him before he hit the concrete, and he pulled his legs in. Eijiro's eyes widened and he hardened his chin just in time for when Bruce's kick connected with his lower jaw. The attack caused him to stagger back while Bruce backflipped away. Before the redhead could regain his focus, his opponent landed and immediately threw two bats at him. Eijiro managed to bring up his forearms and the metal projectiles bounced off with harmless "tink!"s.

Kirishima grinned. "Sorry, but those little things aren't going to be able to even nick me!"

Bruce's eyes narrowed a fraction. In a swift motion, he threw four more bats at Eijiro. His opponent braced, confident that his Quirk would protect him. He failed to notice that these bats were different.

The stadium was stunned when the bats blew up.

"Explosions?!" exclaimed Deku.

Bruce ran at his opponent, who was coughing and stunned from the close proximity. _I had to dial back the explosive power to get them approved for the festival. So I have to use more than usual._

Eijiro stopped coughing enough to see Bruce aiming a high kick at his head. He brought up his forearm to block. Bruce's shin connected and the force sent his opponent skidding to the side. He grunted when he came to a halt. He felt a throbbing in his arm and upon examination was stunned to see that there was actually a dent in his Hardening.

"How-?"

He was barely able to bring his arm up to block a bat that also exploded. He winced.

"Your Quirk's a Transformation type, correct?"

Eijiro glanced up at his opponent.

"That means keeping it activated puts a strain on your body."

Bruce threw two bats. This time Eijiro dodged to the side. So he was surprised when the bats just stuck into the ground.

 _Normal ones!?_

The air was knocked out of his lungs from Bruce's kick slamming into his side. Eijiro rolled a bit before managing to get back on his feet. He panted and winced as he gripped his side. ' _Damn… even though I was hardened…_ '

"It must drain you to keep it activated. So the lower your stamina, the weaker your Quirk. And everything has a limit to how much damage it can take before it breaks down."

Eijiro's eyes widened. _From the very beginning… dodging my attacks to wear me out… and using those explosions… all to break me down!_

A "whir"-ing sounded out and the grapple wrapped around his arm. Bruce sharply pulled and his stunned opponent wasn't able to properly resist. As Bruce drew him in, he readied himself for one final kick. Eijiro hardened his cheek but knew it wouldn't be enough.

Bruce's kick connected and threw Eijiro's head to the side. His head twisted and his body followed as he hit the ground. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and he didn't move.

"Kirishima is out of commission! Wayne advances!"

The stadium roared into cheers. Bruce's friends also cheered happily.

"Amazing! He actually knocked him out!" Diana said.

"He made those gadgets all on his own. So cool," said Hal.

"Wayne came up with such an efficient plan in such short notice," observed J'onn.

On the other side, Class 1-A was stunned.

"Amazing… he used common knowledge on Transformation Quirks to form a strategy against Kirishima. He then tricked him with those tools to weaken his Quirk and get him in position," Deku said.

As the conveyor bots came with a stretcher for Eijiro, Bruce lifted up his fallen opponent, draping his arm over his shoulder. Once the stretcher was in place, he gently laid the other teen down.

"Wayne once again shows himself to be a humble winner! Truly he is a gentleman to all!" Present Mic announced, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.

Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's just the considerate thing to do." He then winced when a dull ache made itself known. He pulled up his pant leg to reveal a deep purple bruise blossoming on his shin. The teen frowned. "Hmm. Seems like his Quirk was still strong enough to harm me even if it couldn't fully protect him." He started his way to Recovery Girl's office, limping slightly.

* * *

"Wayne is limping. You think he's hurt?" Wally worriedly asked.

"He'll be okay if he can still walk on his own. I'm sure he'll be fine," Shayera reassured her fellow redhead.

* * *

Bruce continued to hobble to the nurse's office. "This should heal easily. It won't get in the way of my next fight." He was so focused on remaining upright and his potential new opponent that he didn't notice someone walking out from the corner in front of him until he bumped into them.

"Oh, pardon…" Bruce's urgency to apologize died when he looked up at who he had walked into. "... me."

"Ah, Young Wayne! So sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," All Might said with a smile. His smile was met with a cold glare, causing it to flatter. Bruce looked away, still glaring.

"There was no harm. Now excuse me." He tried to hurry away but his injury made his move futile and he cursed when he stumbled.

"Are you injured? Here, allow me to help you." All Might reached out to assist the teen. He was stunned when his hands were backhanded away.

"It's fine. I don't want your help," Bruce growled without turning to the hero. The blonde stared, shocked, as the black-haired boy continued to walk slowly down the hall. All Might hesitated, the words catching on his tongue. He remembered Aizawa warning him to not pry with Wayne, but he just had to know.

"Young Wayne, wait!" Much to his surprise, the teen actually did stop though he still didn't turn to face him. There was an awkward silence. All Might finally broke it.

"Young Wayne, I can't help but feel… hostility from you. Have I done something that offended you? If I did, I deeply apologize."

Bruce felt his hands clench into fists and his teeth gritted together.

"You're sorry…?" he whispered. He slowly turned to the hero. "You're… sorry?!"

All Might flinched. Bruce's icy blue eyes were narrowed into a hateful glare, his mouth pulled back into a snarl and shadows blackened his face.

"You want to know what you've done that's offended me? Fine! I'll tell you!"

 _Calm down,_ a voice in the back of his mind whispered. It was lost to the storm roaring in his head. He had never been this angry in such a long time. The only time he could recall feeling like this was when he watched the news report of his parents' death.

"You go around shouting 'I am here!' like that is enough to make things better. You are creating the illusion that everything is okay as long as you're around. Well, have you ever thought about the people you never save? The people who are always waiting for the No. 1 hero, for the all mighty All Might, to come help them in their time of need?"

Bruce briefly paused though it was more to catch his breath than to give the pro hero a chance to speak.

"No, because if you did, you wouldn't be promoting this detrimental idea of heroism: that a great hero can save everyone. Not only that, but you're also causing false hope in those who actually need it. And that is the cruelest thing a person can do to anyone."

The teen then whipped around and stormed away, leaving All Might standing frozen and slack-jawed.

* * *

"Alright, let's get the second match of the second round! It's a clash of classes! He hails from an elite hero family! From the hero course: Tenya Iida! Versus- He traveled from his humble countryside home! From the hero course: Clark Kent!"

The two boys stood still, observing each other from afar.

 _Kent was able to win against Yaoyorozu with ease. He clearly held back. In that case…_

"Start!"

Clark immediately charged at Iida. The bespectacled teen tried to dodge, but his opponent managed to grab his arm and was already moving to throw him out.

 _No! I'm not going to just lose!_

Tenya grabbed into Clark's arm and held on. Instead of being thrown, Tenya was able to hang on and planted his feet on the ground. He tightened his grip on his opponent's arm and prepared his move.

"Recipro Burst!"

With that, he took off running towards the boundary, his opponent in tow.

 _Just ten seconds! Ten seconds before I stall. I can throw him out of bounds like this!_

With a strong twist, Tenya sent Clark soaring towards the boundary.

 _This is it!_

When Clark was a few feet away from going over the line, he threw his limbs out to the sides and came to a complete stop. He remained suspended in the air for a few seconds then gently landed back on his feet. Tenya stared in shock.

 _How… how did he do that? Isn't his Quirk super strength?_

"You know, I only did that to test how fast you are. I can see that you aren't nearly as fast as West."

Then Clark was right in front of him, his body lowered and his fist pulled back.

"And he's the only one here who completely outranks my speed."

Tenya flinched and was only able to back away a few steps.

"5 Ton Shot!"

Clark's fist drove into Tenya's lower abdomen. Iida felt the air rush out of his lungs and even heard a small crack. He was thrown back over the boundary line and into the stadium wall. His head fell against his chest, and he slid to the ground.

"Iida is out of bounds! Kent advances!"

As the crowd cheered, Uraraka and Izuku stared worriedly at their friend.

"Iida... " Deku said.

They then watched as Clark walked over to Tenya's unconscious body. The other teen lifted him up into his arms and gently laid him in the stretcher of the conveyor bots.

"Another great display of sportsmanship!" exclaimed Present Mic causing the crowd to cheer even louder. What couldn't be seen was Clark's guilty expression.

"Sorry. I tried to hold back but I think I broke some of your ribs."

* * *

Some time later, Clark made his way back to sitting with his friends.

"Where have you been?" Diana asked.

"Just went to check on Iida. I cracked two of his ribs but Recovery Girl said they'll easily heal," Clark said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't feel too bad. You didn't want to hurt him," Bruce said.

It was the first time he had spoken in a while. He had been a bit sour after his fight with Eijiro. He was probably upset that his plan wasn't completely foolproof.

* * *

"Now, time for the third match! This is a battle of blasting power! From the hero course: Nathaniel Adams! Also from the hero course: Katsuki Bakugo!"

The two boys glared at each other across the stage. Bakugo growled while smoke rose from his palms. Nathaniel took a deep breath and exhaled as radiation flickered to life in his hands.

"Start!"

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

Two big fights are coming up.

Both will leave big impacts on the participants.

 **Next time:** Everything You Got!

The final round is coming.

* * *

 **So this was a bit shorter than usual since this chapter was more of a bridge to the next one.**

 **Also, please try to avoid leaving reviews just to ask me when the next chapter is. I love writing this story, but I can't write 24/7. I really don't need my emails filling up with reviews and PMs just asking about the next chapter.**


	7. Everything You Got!

"You better not hold out on me like you did with Round Face," Bakugo said to his opponent. "I'm not a damn weakling like her."

Nathaniel's eyes narrowed. "She isn't weak. I held back out of misguided kindness." The teen flexed his hands. "Something tells me you wouldn't like that."

Explosions popped in the blonde's hands. "You're fucking right. I don't want to fight a damn softie."

"Start!"

Both the boys' eyes shot open, their concentration heightened. Bakugo rocketed at his opponent. Nathaniel stood firm and cupped his hands, firing a blast of radiation. The blonde used his Quirk to throw himself out of the attack's path. This placed him to the other teen's left. Nathaniel swiped his arm at him, sending an arc of energy at Bakugo. The blonde unleashed a counterattack that dispersed the radiation. He then blasted straight towards the other teen. "Stop throwing weak-ass attacks, you bastard!"

Nathaniel glared and radiation ignited in his palms. The energy rocketed him up and over his opponent. Radiation then sparked to life from his hero costume boot. Then using bursts from his hands, he spun back with his leg outstretched. Bakugo only managed to turn his head just as the kick connected. The radiation-covered sole smashed into his cheek and then the silver-haired teen ignited it. The resulting explosion added more impact to the kick, sending both boys flying back from each other. Katsuki ended up hitting and rolling while Nathaniel broke his fall with one arm and flipped back onto his feet.

Bakugo growled as he wiped his cheek. "Damn, Blind Boy…"

He then heard a booming noise resonating from behind him. He turned to see Nathaniel gunning at him, red-speckled blue energy bursting from his hands and feet. The blonde cursed and tried to ready his arms for an explosion.

"Too slow!" his opponent exclaimed. He brought forward his left arm and clotheslined the blonde. He caught him right in the throat, causing Bakugo to choke. The teen grunted when his back hit the concrete. He then let out an "Oof!" when something landed on him. His red eyes focused to see Nathaniel was settled on him, his knee on his chest and his hands pinning the blonde's arms above his head.

"He managed to pin down Kacchan!?" exclaimed Deku. "He moved so fast not even someone with Bakugo's reflexes could dodge," Kaminari said nervously as Sero gapped next to him. Ochaco stared down at the scene. "He… _really_ held back against me."

Bruce's eyes narrowed as he watched. "What's Adams doing? Don't tell me…"

Katsuki snarled and struggled against his opponent's grip. "Get the fuck… off me! Blind Bastard!" Nathaniel's scowl deepened, and he tightened his hold on the blonde. "As much as an annoyance you are, I really don't want to hurt you." That caught Bakugo's attention, and he stared into his opponent's eyes. "So this is your only chance to withdraw."

The blonde just stared at the silver-haired teen. Then slowly his face shifted to one of pure rage. He could feel a vein throbbing on his temple. "You… fucker! Did you just tell me to give up!?" The surge of anger allowed Katsuki to lurch forward with enough force to dislodge his opponent's knee and free his arms. His forehead smashed into Nathaniel's face, knocking the latter back. Before he could recover, Katsuki grabbed the front of his uniform and his arm. "Don't you dare fucking underestimate me!" He threw the other teen over his shoulder, using his Quirk to add more force to send Nathaniel flying. Bakugo rocketed at him before he hit the ground. The other teen saw him coming and used radiation bursts from his hands to swing his lower body upwards. Radiation once again coated his foot, and he landed a kick to Bakugo's chin. The kick did knock the blonde's head back, but he remained on course, firing a massive explosion at his opponent. Nathaniel propelled out of the way, spinning then rolling onto the ground. He quickly readied himself into a crouch. The silver-haired teen clasped his hands together and light from the build-up of energy seeped through his fingers.

"Alright, can you handle this?" Nathaniel thrust his hands forward just as Katsuki landed on the concrete. A beam of blue energy emitting red sparks shot out towards him, and the blonde barely leaned back in time to avoid getting a face full of radiation. The beam hit the stadium wall behind him, causing a large explosion and a rain of debris. Bakugo didn't have time to recover from his shock since his opponent proceeded to throw two spheres of energy. He tried to use his Quirk to propel himself out of their path but didn't account for them to curve with one heading for him. It hit him in the abdomen and detonated, sending him sprawling onto the concrete.

"He can change the shape of his attacks? It seems like those laser and energy ball forms are compressed so they are stronger than the usual blasts," Deku murmured as he scribbled away in his notebook.

Both Classes 1-A and 0-JL watched with intensity. Though Bakugo had taken the most hits, Nathaniel was also panting heavily.

Bakugo spat out to the side as he steadied himself onto his feet. His opponent breathed and exhaled deeply as he wiped sweat from his cheek.

"You ready to finally take me seriously, Blind Bastard?!" Bakugo shouted as he rocketed at Nathaniel. The other teen's glare intensified and he bared his teeth. "Fine! If you want me to show off what I can do, then here!" he angrily yelled. Radiation burst to life in his hands. The energy flames condensed into spheres so Katsuki readied to completely dodge them. Only the spheres shrunk down, and Nathaniel brought his hands together. The energy balls then began to combine into a single large one between them. Once the merging was completed, the growing light emitting from the radiation was so intense that Bakugo had to stop to shield his squinting eyes.

"Atomic…"

Bakugo's eyes briefly widened in realization before braced himself.

"Burst!"

Nathaniel thrust his hands forward and unleashed a wide beam of concentrated radiation. It increased in width the further it reached in front of him, covering much of the stage. Concrete was torn up and the stadium wall behind was shattered.

Bakugo was thrown back and was beginning to back-flip towards the boundary. _Not like this…! I won't lose like this…!_ He used his explosions to direct himself to the ground. His hands scraped against the concrete as they splintered as he held onto the crack on the stage and began pulling himself forward against the blast's force.

"Damn… Bastard!"

The attack finally ended, dust clouding much of the area and red sparks dying in the air. Nathaniel panted, his shoulders moving up and down with his heaving. _That attack used up a lot of energy. It'll take a while for it to build up again._

"Blind Bastard!"

Bakugo blasted out of the dust cloud. His skin was scuffed up, his sleeves were torn, his nails bleeding, and his expression was near-feral. He rushed at a surprised Nathaniel.

 _He managed to stay in bounds?_ Radiation ignited in his hands. _Am I going to have to beat him down?_

Bakugo briefly stopped his explosions to bring his hands forward and together. The explosions built up between his hands, creating a sphere of bright light.

"Stun Grenade!"

Nathaniel snapped his eyes shut. _Dammit! I can't see!_ His eyes shot open when something slammed into his face. Bakugo snarled as he gripped his opponent's lower face. "You've been holding back! I know that your Quirk is strong!" He pulled the other teen close then let go when he slammed his knee into his chest. Nathaniel coughed harshly, his eyes bulging. The blonde then fired an explosion right into his face, throwing Nathaniel's head back.

"I want a definite win! A definite No. 1 spot! So I want you to give me everything you've fucking got!" Bakugo screamed.

He grabbed the other teen by the head and shoulder and flipped over him. The blonde flung him into the air, with a couple of explosions added for good measures. Nathaniel grunted as he hit the ground hard and rolled before he skidded to a halt on his feet. He slowly stood up, panting heavily. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand. Nathaniel then instantly straightened, radiation flames igniting on his forearms and face. His hair was once again a mix of hair and energy blaze, and red energy flickered from the corners of his eyes.

Both boys glared at each other, though Nathaniel had a scowl while Katsuki had a wide sneer.

"Alright, let's get serious then, Adams!" the blonde yelled as he ran at his opponent.

"Adams! Out of bounds!"

 _What?_ both of them thought. A quick glance down proved it. The heel of Nathaniel's right foot had crossed the line.

"Bakugo advances!"

The stadium cheered though Classes 1-A and 0-JL were silent. The latter because their classmate just lost and the former because they knew that their classmate would not be happy. Especially Izuku.

"Kacchan…" he murmured. He watched the stage warily.

The teens on the stage stood dumbly still. The radiation died down as Nathaniel stared down at the ground. "I lost… I lost…" he softly repeated to himself. "No… not like this…" The silver-haired teen looked up to see Katsuki stalking slowly towards him. "This is a technicality… this isn't definite…" His face gradually became contoured with rage. "This isn't over! You will finish the fight, Adams!" The blonde ran and then lunged at the other teen who threw up his forearm to defend himself.

Then a pinkish mist filled the stage. Katsuki collapsed mid-lunge and Nathaniel fell onto his side. Both boys were now in deep sleep. Midnight sighed as she stopped her Quirk. "Get these two to the nurse's," she ordered the conveyor bots arriving to the stage.

* * *

"Amazing, their fight was so dynamic," said Hal. "Yeah," Shayera agreed, "Too bad Adams lost. Things looked like they were about to get good." "So, what's the next fight?" J'onn asked. "It's Todoroki against Midoriya," answered Bruce. "Awesome! It's a 1-A versus 1-A fight!" Wally said excitedly. Then the redhead felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone, and his eyes lit up. "Excuse me, I've got to take this." He quickly left the seats and made his way to an empty hall. Once there, Wally answered the call.

"Hello, Uncle Barry!"

"Hey, kid. Sorry for not calling sooner. I saw you on TV. You did great!"

Wally smiled sadly. "Not really. I wasn't able to make it to the final event."

"Come on, you were amazing. I saw you leave Ingenium's younger brother in the dust. Oh, speaking of Ingenium, I'm gonna be going on patrol with him soon. Hopefully, the media will stop pushing the idea we're better rivals."

Wally laughed. "Yeah, two speedsters are better than one. Say 'Hi' to him for me."

"Will do Wally. See you tonight."

"Bye Uncle!"

The call ended and the redhead began running back to his class's stands. "Maybe I should partner up with Iida in the future."

* * *

Nathaniel slowly woke up. He blinked at the white ceiling and became aware that he was laying on something soft and there were things on his face. He gingerly traced the outline of band-aids. The cot groaned as he sat up.

"Oh, you're the first to wake up," Recovery Girl said as she looked up from her clipboard. Nathaniel blinked and glanced to his side. Bakugo was laying on the cot next to him. "How are you feeling? Any lingering pains?" The teen shook his head and stood up. "Everything is fine. Thank you Recovery Girl." The elder hero smiled. "Alright. If anything starts to feel odd, don't hesitate to come see me. Now hurry on out of here. I'm sure you want to see the next fight, and I think we both know that it'll be better if you aren't here when he wakes up." Recovery Girl jerked her head towards Bakugo and Nathaniel nodded in agreement. He waved good-bye and exited the room, ready to head back to his seat. He wasn't prepared to see someone waiting for him. Nathaniel's blank eyes stared into a heavy-lidded dark blue one as Arthur leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Yo, Adams," the blonde greeted. "Hey, Curry… what are you doing here?" he asked. Arthur glanced away for a bit. "... I wanted to see if you were okay. Bakugo surprisingly is as much bite as he is bark." Nathaniel smiled. "Anyway, let's get back to our seats. The next fight is starting soon, swish," his classmate said casually as he ran his hand through his long hair. The other teen nodded. "Yeah…" he agreed softly. Arthur noticed his class rep's tone of voice and turned to face him. His eye the widened to its full wide size, a rare sight.

"Adams, why are you crying?"

"Eh?" The silver-haired teen wiped his cheek and realized he did have tears running down his face. "Oh… I guess… me losing really hit hard. I just feel… like I've taken a step back from my goal. I won't be able to help my parents as quickly as I want to now." The teen sniffed and wiped his eyes. The pair were silent before Arthur walked closer to Nathaniel. He looked up just in time to feel a stinging pain when the blonde flicked him hard in the forehead.

"Itai! What the heck was that for?" cried Nathaniel, his hands flying to cradle the red spot blossoming of his forehead. More tears comically bubbled in his eyes. Arthur frowned though it was different from his usual stoicism. It wasn't angry just disapproving. "Don't beat yourself down like this. Your journey to become a hero may have been slowed down, but it hasn't ended. Don't waste these emotions on tears; use them to push yourself forward." As Arthur said the last sentence he jabbed his thumb at his chest where his heart would be. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the blonde glanced away. "Plus, I don't think your parents would want you to feel this way," he said with a frown. Nathaniel smiled as he rubbed the sore spot. "Thanks, though you still didn't have to hit so hard," he complained. His friend side-eye glared at him. "Shut up. I'm not good at this pep talk crap, swish," he pouted. The other teen burst out laughing.

* * *

The two made their way back to their class. Once they came into view, Nathaniel was bombarded with statements of praise and questions about his well-being. He timidly thanked and reassured his classmates. There was still a few minutes before the next fight, some time to relax. Too bad someone else had another idea.

"Where is he!? Where the fuck is that Blind Bastard?!"

"Bakugo! Come on man, please! Stop!"

"Kirishima, it's no use! He's gone rabid!"

Class 0-JL turned to see Katsuki at the entrance, dragging a struggling Eijiro who was futilely trying to hold him back by the shoulders. Kaminari trailed close behind, his hands hanging in the air like he wanted to assist but hesitated because he feared they would be bitten off. The enraged blonde furiously scanned the seats, and then his red eyes landed on Nathaniel. He gritted his teeth and began stomping down the stairs.

"You motherfucker! You help back against me because you were underestimating me! I'll teach you to look down on me!"

The blonde took a step towards the aisle Nathaniel was seated in only to stop when Arthur stood in his way. His angry red eyes met a scornful blue eye.

"Back off," the taller blonde growled. Bakugo's eyes narrowed, and he snapped, "Get the fuck out of my way, Sharkface!" Arthur snarled, showing off his serrated teeth. The 1-A student glanced around the other teen to glare at Nathaniel. "So what, you need a goddamn bodyguard, Blind Bastard!?"

"Fuck off!" Arthur angrily shouted and he harshly shoved at Bakugo, causing him to stumble back. "He doesn't need protection. You're just someone no one wants to deal with." The other blonde lunged at him, though his two classmates were able to restrain him enough that he didn't reach his target.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Sharkface!? Where do you get off acting like you own the place?!"

"That's real ironic coming from you. It's pretty obvious that you're the one always looking down on others," a cold voice cut in.

Everyone turned to see Bruce walking up the stairs. Bakugo glared at him with absolute hatred. "Stay the hell out of this Rich Boy! This has nothing to do with you!" The other teen's eyes sharpened. "When my classmates are distressed then it does involve me." He walked up and stood face-to-face with the blonde. "No one is at fault for how the fight ended, especially Adams. Just take your win and your inferiority complex and leave us alone."

All the students were stunned by Bruce's blatant insult in the literal face of danger. Steam was practically pouring out of Bakugo's ears. Kaminari glanced nervously at Bruce.

"Um, dude. You might want to back up or else he'll actually kill you," he warned. Bruce rolled his eyes. "Please, I'd like to see him try." Bakugo's face deepened into a dark crimson while Kirishima and Kaminari stared, jaws agape. "Tell us… do you fear anything?" asked the latter. The black-haired teen glanced dismissively away. "Of course I do. It's just he isn't anything to be afraid of." He nodded his head towards Bakugo. "I find clowns to be scarier." Then Bruce paused in thought as Eijiro and Denki held back an increasingly irate Katsuki. He brought his finger to his chin and tilted his head a bit. "Though I guess that makes Bakugo the exception."

 _Sassy!_ Class 0-JL collectively thought as many tried to stifle their laughter and failed.

Bakugo was all but foaming at the mouth. He thrashed against his classmates' grips though they miraculously managed to keep him restrained. "You think you're fucking funny, Rich Boy!? Or do you just have to talk tough shit to make up for the fact you're Quirkless trash!?"

The atmosphere instantly changed. The air was thick with tension and Kirishima and Kaminari broke into nervous sweats. They glanced around the Class 0-JL students. Their expressions of mirth at the expense of Bakugo had been replaced with varying levels of disdain. The most intense were those that didn't openly show their rage, such as Jason's practically glowing slit pupil or J'onn's completely blank expression, his eyes wide with his irises condensed in small circles. Bruce, surprisingly, looked off to the side, his bangs shielding his eyes though his dark scowl was evident.

Katsuki, either not being able to read the room or just not caring, shouted, "What, no smart-ass comeback, Rich Boy? Probably because you know what I said was true!"

"That's enough!" Shayera was storming up the stairs, her wings trembling behind her. "If you don't learn to shut up, I'll gladly help you by breaking your jaw! Just because Wayne's Quirk isn't the most flashy doesn't mean he's useless. In fact, he's far better than you since he knows not to be a callous jackass," the redhead defended her friend. The blonde glared at the girl. "Fuck off, Chicken Bitch." "What the hell did you just call her, you scumbag?" Hal exclaimed angrily as he jumped up from his seat.

"You really should leave," Bruce coldly said, his icy eyes peeking out from under his bangs. Katsuki returned his attention to the teen. "So you are scared, huh Rich Boy? Guess all you can do is-" He was cut off when Bruce sprayed him in the face with a canister that resembled pepper spray. "Aggh! What the fuuuck… did… yooo…" he trailed off and his head slumped down. Eijiro and Denki stared in shock at Bruce. "It's sleeping gas. I only gave him enough to knock him out for a few minutes, so I suggest you take him and leave. Now," he ordered through gritted teeth. The two nodded dumbly and carefully but hurriedly left. As they did, the two heard Jason stage-whisper to Zatanna, "No wonder Class 1-B possesses such animosity. Who's to say some others aren't as arrogant." The girl shook her head. "I wouldn't go that far… but that guy definitely fits the role of 'villain' better than 'hero'."

When Kirishima and Kaminari returned to their seats, their classmates awkwardly glanced at them, having obviously heard the whole disaster. Class 1-A sat in silence after the unconscious Bakugo had been secured with copious amounts of Sero's tape.

* * *

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the mess that had occurred in the stands, Midoriya and Todoroki stood oppose to each other on the stage. The former knew he was in for a tough fight. Even if his opponent refused to use his left side, his ice powers were no joke. Still, Midoriya couldn't afford to lose. So many people had supported him, and he wasn't about to let them down.

Todoroki stared at his determined classmate. He would win this, he told himself. He would win this whole competition with just his mom's power and reject his father's with his victory.

Both knew they had to attack from the get-go and readied themselves for the first strike.

Above, Bruce watched closely. Even if he still was ticked after his encounter with Bakugo, these were still his Sensei's students. These two, in particular, evoked certain levels of interest from him.

 _Midoriya… somehow you're connected to All Might. His secretary is your mentor and you both gave off the same feeling. Those heartbeats…_ His eyes narrowed at the green-haired teen. _I want to see everything you can do._ His gaze then shifted to Todoroki, and his intrigue changed to something else. _... Seeing him… really pisses me off._

"Start!"

As soon as Present Mic gave the signal, ice shot towards Midoriya. He readied his hand as he sent One for All to his finger.

 _Smash!_

With just a flick, he shattered the ice and sent currents of frigid wind out into the crowd. Midoriya completely stopped Todoroki's attack, at the cost of crippling his finger.

Bruce quirked an eyebrow. "Super strength with the drawback of self-injury. He's kind of like you Kent." His friend glanced at him and nodded. "Yeah. Though it looks like he can't restrain himself." Bruce shook his head. "No. I think he can but he wasn't able to gauge how strongly Todoroki would attack so just went full power for security. Reasonable but not the best strategy."

Todoroki sent another wave of ice. Deku easily obliterated it, sacrificing another finger. He grimaced as he held his wrist.

 _Todoroki always attacks in an instant, so my data on him is limited. I just know that I definitely need to find an opening._

Bruce observed the battlefield and saw what Deku did. _Todoroki's put up an ice barrier to keep himself from being blown back. Midoriya's purposefully limiting himself to his fingers so he can give himself more chances to attack._ His eyes fell on the freckled teen. _Still, he's only got six chances left._ One more ice attack was unleashed, and it was swiftly negated. _... Make that five._

"Todoroki can cover so much ground with his Quirk," Diana observed. "Mm. Midoriya will be reaching his limit soon," J'onn stated. "Don't be so sure." Bruce's friends turned to look at him. "Quirks are physical abilities. Overusing them like overusing a body part will eventually wear you down. I'm certain Midoriya knows this too." J'onn blinked. "Oh, I see. So what he wants is…"

"... an endurance match," Shoto realized. "Then, I'll just end this quickly."

 _Damn! Smash!_

While Deku recoiled from the pain of using up all his right hand's fingers, Shoto began to close the distance between them by forming an ice ramp for him to run on.

"Dammit…! Smash!"

Deku aimed and flicked one of his bandaged fingers. He managed to destroy the ice, but by then Shoto had already leaped off and was heading straight for him. He managed to dodge his opponent's punch however Todoroki quickly directed his ice at him. It caught up with Midoriya and took hold of his foot.

 _Oh no! He got me!_

Deku had no choice. He spread One for All's power to his entire left arm and unleashed a punch. The resulting blast of wind was even more powerful than the previous ones. Todoroki was blown back so much he had to create an even thicker ice barrier.

Izuku stood slumped, his arm hanging uselessly to his side. He glared up to see his opponent still standing tall albeit with frost beginning to form on him.

 _It isn't just his Quirk. Judgment, application skills, mobility…_

 _Everything about him is strong,_ Bruce thought. _So why is this whole fight so damn irritating?_

"Are you done? You look pretty beaten up for just defending and running away," Shoto commented. Izuku glared at him only to notice something.

 _He's… shivering?_ Izuku gritted his teeth. _So that's how it is…_

"Sorry… but thanks to you, his face is now clouded with anger." Shoto glanced to the side at Endeavor who watched the match with displeasure. Izuku felt something grow in him. Something… with a fury. "You can't fight anymore in your condition. I'll finish this." With that, Todoroki unleashed the final attack. Or so he thought.

"Where the hell have you been looking?"

The ice shattered and the gust of wind completely took Todoroki by surprise. It nearly pushed him out of bounds until he managed to create a strong enough barrier. He stared at his opponent. "You used your broken finger? What are you trying to do?"

"You're trembling, Todoroki."

Shoto blinked at the statement. "Quirks are physical abilities, too. So there's a limit to how much cold your body can take, right? Couldn't you fix that problem by countering it with your left side?" Shoto glared at Deku. The teen struggled to lift his hand. "Everyone here is trying their hardest to win… to be No. 1. And yet you want to win with just half your strength?" He returned his classmate's glare. "This whole time you haven't managed to get a single scratch on me." He clenched his broken fingers into a fist.

"I want you to come at me with everything you've got!"

Bruce scowled at the scene, having read the fighters' lips. "So that's really why, huh? No wonder I'm so pissed."

Shoto glowered at his classmate's demand. "You want me to give you everything I've got? What did my monster of a father bribe you?" He took off towards Izuku. "Now you've done it!" Deku observed a change in his movements. _They've…_

 _... slowed down,_ Bruce noted. _The frost on his body is a clear sign that he can't take much more of the cold. Yet he still…_ He watched as Izuku managed to a solid hit on Todoroki; the first real one in the whole battle. _Even though he's broken his fingers, he's still fighting so hard. He's either really determined or just not thinking of major consequences. Maybe both._ Bruce's hand trailed to rest over his scarred side. _Even so, it doesn't really look like he is just fighting to win now. Midoriya… don't tell me… you're going to risk it for… he really isn't worth it._

The fight continued on. Todoroki's ice had slowed down, allowing Izuku to get more hits with his Quirk. His fingers had gone from red to a concerning purple. Yet he still fought at full power.

Bruce's eyes widened as he watched Deku flick his thumb with his cheek to send a blast of wind at Todoroki. "He really is going so far for someone like Todoroki," he muttered. Clark glanced at his friend. "Wayne?" Bruce glowered and his fingers dug into his crossed arms. "Everyone is giving their very best, yet he wants to win with only half his power? Just to reject his father," he practically hissed. Clark looked uneasy about the other teen's anger. "Well, I'm sure he has his reason…" Bruce's temper finally peaked. "I don't know his reasons, and frankly I don't care! If he wants to reject his father, fine! But he has no right being No. 1 if he isn't going to use his Quirk's full potential!"

Unbeknownst to him, Midoriya had shared his similar thoughts to Todoroki at that very moment.

"Everyone's giving it their all, just like you should be! There's no way I can understand your circumstances or your resolve, but for you to win without giving it your all just to get at your father… Right now, you should quit screwing around!"

* * *

Everything came flooding back.

He remembered his father's brutality and how his mom took so many blows protecting him. How he wasn't allowed to be with his siblings because every day he had to train. How everything drove his mom to pour boiling water on him and yet she was the one locked away.

It was his fault. Everything was Endeavor's fault. That's why he had to reject him.

"I… refuse to use his fire…" Shoto said as he struggled to his feet after when thrown back by one of Midoriya's punch.

Deku gritted his teeth and shouted, "It's yours! Your Quirk, not his!"

 _"You aren't a prisoner of your blood. Be the hero you want to be."_

The flames erupted, pillaring into the sky.

Bruce squinted at the sudden brightness. "So he's using his fire now. This is what you wanted, right Midoriya?"

"It's so hot. Even from here the heat's intense," commented Wally. He was startled when J'onn abruptly stood up. "I need to leave," he heard his friend said. Wally looked up and saw that J'onn had an expression of absolute terror. His head was looking down and cold sweat dripped down his face. The green-skinned teen then took off up the stairs. "Hang on! J'onzz!" called out Wally to no avail. He glanced back at the fight before running after his friend, their departure going unnoticed by the others.

Back on the stage, Izuku stared at his opponent's power. "Weren't you the one telling me to not screw around? And yet, you helped me…" Todoroki's fire burned brightly. "I also… want to be a hero!"

"Midoriya's smiling," Bruce observed. "He really is crazy." _This fight is nearing the end._

The two fighters powered up for the final strike. Todoroki sent a huge wave of ice at Midoriya who easily leaped over it by pouring One for All into his leg.

 _Get in close and hit him with everything! Show me your full power, Todoroki!_

Shoto reignited his left side as Izuku closed in, One for All sparking to life in his right arm.

 _Midoriya… thank you._

Just before full contact, cement walls were sprung between them. However, they only did so much to lessen the impact. There was an explosion that sent chunks of debris and immensely powerful winds throughout the stadium. Everyone cried out from the display of such power.

"That's… amazing!" exclaimed Clark as he shielded his face. "Can anyone see what just happened?" Diana asked while her hair whipped through the air. Bruce squinted his eyes nearly shut. "The cold air was suddenly heated and rapidly expanded. Thus the explosion." _So this is what some of Aizawa-sensei's students are capable of._ Then the steam began to clear. He quickly found Midoriya's unconscious form as he slumped against a wall.

"... He lost."

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

There is one more match before the quarter-finals.

Who will make it to the end?

 **Next time:** Fight On!

I won't stop 'til I'm No. 1.

* * *

 *****This is a little something written for me by a wonderful reader, leonardo18anime. Check out their account here.**

 **They PM'ed me this little section they wrote that takes place between Bruce knocking out Bakugo and the Deku vs Shoto fight. I cleaned it up a bit, but the original idea was leanardo18anime's. And I have their permission to add it here.**

 **I wish I had come up with something like this in the story, and unfortunately, this section is non-canon.*****

The class just stood there in the silence, watching Kirishima and Kaminari drag the unconscious Bakugo out of 0-JL's stand and back to 1-A's. Bruce just stood there with an emotionless look in his eyes, while he placed the sleeping gas canister back in his belt.

"Honestly, so much potential lost to unchecked pride," said Bruce.

"Wayne are you okay?" asked Diana. He saw his entire class was looking at him with concern.

"Yes, I am fine. It takes a lot more than some high school insults to break me down," said Bruce, stone-faced and curtly.

You are so cold, most of the class thought.

"Nicely done, Wayne. That asshole deserved it," said Arthur.

"What is that guy's problem? We've done nothing to him and he just barrages in to pick a fight with everyone," growled Shayera, brimming with anger. "Yeah. He's the one insulting us and calling us nasty nicknames. How the hell was he accepted into the hero course?" asked Hal, his eyes still glowing green.

"It's pretty obvious Jordan. He is a strong fighter as well as a smart one," Bruce answered. "He is right. He may be a brute, but he managed to keep me on my toes during our fight," Nathaniel agreed.

"So the guy has a good Quirk and that gives his behavior a pass," muttered Helena as she crossed her arms. "It seems so Bertinelli. Nowadays flashy Quirks are essential to be a hero. Honestly, it is a miracle that Wayne and I passed the entrance exams," Vic said.

"Don´t be so negative, Sage. You two passed because of your strategies and intelligence. So what if you two don't have flashy Quirks? Hank and I also don't have a specific way of combat, but we make up for it with our teamwork," said Don. "Damn right, little brother," agreed Hank, patting the blonde on the shoulder.

"You know, once he wakes up he is gonna come for your head," Zatanna piped up, a bit worried.

"I am not afraid of him," said Bruce.

"You're so confident 'bout that," said Greg.

"Well, don´t worry Wayne. If that guy comes after you, I'm pretty sure the class will fight for you," declared Wally. The redhead had his fists pumped to the sides of his head, a determined pout on his face.

"Yeah," the rest of the class proclaimed. That caught Bruce off-guard, seeing all of his friends and classmates ready to stand up for him. He never once had this kind of treatment before.

"You'd all do... that for me?" he asked with emotions building in his chest.

"Of course! You are our friend and vice president," said Dinah.

"Without you, we would have lost in so many ways. You're truly amazing," said Clark.

"Well... thanks," Bruce said with a gentle smile, much to his classmates' surprise.

"Aww, he's smiling again," Shayera teasingly cooed. "It's a miracle!" exclaimed Wally as he bounced on his toes.

"Yeah, it's real nice," said Bruce, going back to his usual serious expression.

"There's the frown that we know and love," laughed Clark and the entire class followed.

"Let's go back to our seats," said Bruce.

"Yeah," everybody responded. Once they were all settled, they couldn't help but talk about Wayne's feats.

"It sure was impressive that Wayne stood up against Bakugo and didn't even flinch," said J'onn. "That jerk needs a good beating to bring him back down to reality. He seems like the kind of person that is convinced he is invincible. I would love to bring him down to his knees, but I guess we will have to wait for either Wayne, Kent, Prince or Blood to do that," said Helena. "I can see either Prince or Kent taking him down. They are the strongest of the class. Wayne is super smart, but his fighting skills aren't gonna be useful against those explosions, and if he manages to pass Etrigon, it could be an easy defeat for Blood," said Dinah.

"Come to think of it, it's pretty surreal that Wayne came this far with a very useless Quirk. Uh, no offense though," said Mari as she glanced at the black-haired teen.

"None taken. It took a lot of work to get where I am, and I am not about to quit just because some dick told me to," said Bruce.

"That's the way, Wayne," said Justin.

"Hey, Queen," Hal called to his fellow green hero. "Yeah?" replied the blonde. "You're almost as rich as Wayne. Have you ever seen him using his Quirk in any way?'' the brunette asked. "Well, our families were not that close personally. We did business deals before…that night. I've only seen him once or twice as a kid before U.A., and we didn't really talk. He was always serious, reading all those books and constantly taking notes. I swear I sometimes heard him mumbling things like 'To make up for it'," said Oliver, remembering a young Bruce being super serious and pretty closed off. Any other ten-year-old with a stoic demeanor, slicked-back hair, and tailored business suit would have been comical, however, Bruce managed to pull it off while being pretty damn intimidating. Oliver had never seen so many men nervous about upsetting a little kid. Then again, it was their fundings they were risking and not a temper tantrum.

"He built himself up to the person he is today," commented Vic.

"Well, I'm pretty convinced that our class can still win the festival. We have the most participants, so we have a good chance," said Diana with small red cheeks, her mind praising a certain friend.

"Yes," agreed most of the class.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure you can predict the future. Bunch of newbies," came a voice over the 1-B wall. Everyone glanced to the side and saw a blonde guy with blue eyes smirking at them.

"Who the hell are you?'' asked Arthur.

"Neito Monoma. From class 1-B."

"I don´t care," the other blonde replied bluntly.

"How dare you say that, you fishery boy. I knew it: Class 0-JL is just as arrogant as class 1-A," said Neito.

"What?!" most of the class exclaimed, completely insulted.

"Hey, don't go dragging us into your childish rivalry," said Jason. "Yeah, leave us alone," added Zatanna.

"Oh, it seems that this class looks out more for itself than for fame. It looks like you..'' began Neito. The blonde's classmates groaned as he started his usual arrogant speech. Itsuka sighed and stood up to wrangle in her problem classmate. However, someone beat her to it.

Bruce calmly walked to the wall, hoisted himself up, and grabbed Neito by the collar and tugged him close. "Hey. Shut up, why don't you?" Bruce stage-whispered to the other teen, his voice calm and eerie. It caused a chill down everyone's spine. Bruce's face was so close that no one but Monoma could see his expression. The black-haired teen released his shirt, and Monoma went back to his seat. The blonde sat with his hands in his lap, his face blank and his eyes wide.

"Whoa, he actually scared Monoma," said Tetsutetsu. ''I wish he was in our class," Awase bemoaned.

"Nicely done Wayne," praised Justin.

"Listen, I may be the vice representative, but I don't want any of you trying to get attention for our class. We need to focus on saving people and building towards a better future. Fame is something that is not essential to accomplish; a good hero is one that does things for the people," said Bruce. He had a determined glare while giving his rousing speech to his friends. Everyone nodded, very impressed and amazed at his words.

"You are so inspiring Wayne," complimented Prince, a blush blooming across her cheeks.

"Yeah. You talk like a pro," said Hank.

"I didn't enter this school unprepared. I believe in all of you, and soon we can all make a great team," said Bruce

"You are totally right Wayne," agreed Clark, nodding at his best friend.

The class was ready to go. They could take whatever came at them.

* * *

 **Updated Character Profiles (* New Info)**

 **Hal Jordan**

 **Birthday:** February 20

 **Age:** 15

 **Gender:** Male

 **Height:** 181 cm (5' 11")

 **Hair Color:** Brown

 **Eye Color:** Brown, Green (when using Quirk)

 **Quirk:** Willpower *****

 **Status:** Alive

 **Likes:** Yogurt, jets

 **Seiyu/English VA:** Mamoru Miyano/Newton Pittman

* * *

 **Shayera Hol**

 **Birthday:** June 19

 **Age:** 15

 **Gender:** Female

 **Height:** 170 cm (5' 7")

 **Hair Color:** Red

 **Eye Color:** Green

 **Quirk:** Hawk *****

 **Status:** Alive

 **Likes:** Oysters, cop shows

 **Seiyu/English VA:** Ami Koshimizu/Caitlin Glass

* * *

 **Nathaniel Adams**

 **Birthday:** May 3

 **Age:** 15 (debut), 16 (current) *****

 **Gender:** Male

 **Height:** 192 cm (6' 4")

 **Hair Color:** Blue gray

 **Eye Color:** White

 **Quirk:** Quantum Field

 **Status:** Alive

 **Likes:** Hambagu, organization

 **Seiyu/English VA:** Hiroshi Kamiya/J. Michael Tatum

* * *

 **Justin Sir**

 **Birthday:** December 27

 **Age:** 15

 **Gender:** Male

 **Height:** 167 cm (5' 6")

 **Hair Color:** Platinium blonde

 **Eye Color:** Blue (varying shades)

 **Quirk:** Holy Conjure *****

 **Status:** Alive

 **Likes:** Rice, horseback riding

 **Seiyu/English VA:** Junko Minagawa/Josh Grelle

* * *

 **Jason Blood**

 **Birthday:** March 29

 **Age:** 15

 **Gender:** Male

 **Height:** 190 cm (6' 2")

 **Hair Color:** Crimson (main color), white (streak in bangs)

 **Eye Color:** Light green

 **Quirk:** Etrigan *****

 **Status:** Alive

 **Likes:** Oranges, card games

 **Seiyu/English VA:** Junichi Suwabe/Troy Baker

* * *

 **Zatanna Zatara**

 **Birthday:** May 20

 **Age:** 15

 **Gender:** Female

 **Height:** 152 cm (5')

 **Hair Color:** Black

 **Eye Color:** Cyan

 **Quirk:** Backwards Incantation *****

 **Status:** Alive

 **Likes:** Green tea, magic tricks

 **Seiyu/English VA:** Saori Hayami/Brina Palencia

* * *

 **Dinah Drake**

 **Birthday:** April 10

 **Age:** 15 (debut), 16 (current)

 **Gender:** Female

 **Height:** 160 cm (5' 3")

 **Hair Color:** Blonde

 **Eye Color:** Blue

 **Quirk:** Canary Cry *****

 **Status:** Alive

 **Likes:** Curry bread, karate

 **Seiyu/English VA:** Nana Mizuki/Laura Bailey

* * *

 **Okay, I finally got this out. I've been sick for a while but recovered enough to post this. I'm nearing the end of the Sports Festival Arc.**

 **From now on I will include updates characters profiles when new info comes up.**

 **Be sure to comment and leave constructive criticism.**


	8. Fight On!

**Beta-read by MarvelNinja10**

* * *

With the absolute devastation Izuku and Shoto's fight had brought, there would be a long intermission so repairs could be done. Everyone was talking about how confusing Midoriya's actions were. He provoked Todoroki but ended up losing. Was that what he wanted?

Bruce watched as Izuku was wheeled off the field. His arms and left leg were deep shades of purple. Bruce bit the inside of his lower lip. _All those injuries… for his opponent's sake… even though it cost him…_ An ache built up in his side, and he rubbed it with some irritation. _I can't be one to criticize… that just makes me a hypocrite._ He slouched back in his chair, a look of annoyed displeasure on his face. _I have to visit Recovery Girl again… dammit._

* * *

Izuku laid back in the inclined nurse bed. Without adrenaline pumping through his system, the full force of his actions hit like a semi-truck. He could only grit his teeth in pain as Recovery Girl scolded him and All Might for letting this go so far. The three were left in a thick silence for a few seconds until the door to the office opened.

Bruce could feel the tension vibrating through the air so he stood frozen at the semi-open door. His eyes darted between Recovery Girl and Yagi, briefly lingered on Deku and his injuries, before landing on the healing hero.

"Sorry, I'll just come in later."

"No, no. You come in now. I think I know what the problem is," Recovery Girl said.

Bruce sighed off to the side, slid in, and gently closed the door. "My scar is acting up again, but Midoriya clearly is the top priority." Recovery Girl sighed sadly. "You're correct, however, your situation can be easily resolved. I should take care of it now since I'm not sure when I'll be able to until…" She trailed off and glanced sadly back at Izuku. Bruce inched towards the exit. "Really, I can tolerate it. You just go and take care-"

The door of the office slammed open. The edge clocked a stunned Bruce in the back, knocking him down to the ground, flat on his face.

"Midoriya!" Uraraka, Tenya, Tsuyu, and Mineta exclaimed. They rushed into the room towards their bedridden friend.

"Deku! Are you okay? We were so worried… eh?" Ochaco trailed off when she saw the varying degrees of shock on Izuku, Recovery Girl, and a blonde man's faces as they stared past her and her classmates towards the ground. She and the others turned and gasped to see someone lying on the floor, shoeprints on his back with one standing out on his black hair. The person groaned and pulled himself to his knees while rubbing the back of his head. When they saw who it was, Uraraka and her friends had a collective mini heart attack.

 _We just trampled the richest person in Japan!_

"Dammit…" Bruce winced as he tenderly rubbed a forming bump. "Recovery Girl, can you spare some time to heal the knob on my head?"

"I-I'm so sorry!" a flustered Ochaco exclaimed. "We deeply apologize! We did not mean to injure a fellow student!" Tenya interjected as he made frantic hand motions. Meanwhile, Mineta had squatted to the ground, his hands over his head and a look of downright terror. "This is it… our hero careers are over before they even started… we just ran over one of the most powerful people in the nation… we'll have to change our identities and hide away from society… I never even got a chance to touch Yaoyorozu's boobies…" Tsuyu was too stunned to smack the grape gremlin upside the head for his perverted comment.

Bruce groaned in annoyance. "Be quiet, please! All that noise isn't helping my migraine," he shouted. The room instantly fell silent. He stood up and dusted himself off. "Besides, you guys were worried about your friend, and I can't fault you for that. I'll just get healed up and be out of here."

He walked over to Recovery Girl and the two of them shared a nod. Bruce squatted down and leaned in a bit. The nurse planted a kiss on his cheek and her Quirk's healing power flowed through him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now all of you need to leave. I have to start surgery now."

"Surgery!?" the other teens, even Bruce, exclaimed.

At that moment, the door opened again. "I'm here now, ma'am. Let's get ready."

Bruce looked over. "Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei?"

"Good. My assistant is here. We need to get started, so all of you need to leave," Recovery Girl as she ushered the teens out.

"Deku! Get well!" Ochaco called over her shoulder just as the door shut.

All the 1-A students glanced at the closed office and at each other worriedly. Bruce took notice and looked off to the side.

"Dr. Mid-Nite-sensei is an acclaimed surgeon."

The other teens turned their attention to him. Bruce's face was visible though his eyes were directed to the side.

"He has saved countless lives and managed to perform many operations deemed impossible by others. Even if he can't do it himself because of his arm, Sensei's precise instructions will be enough to guide Recovery Girl. Midoriya's going to be fine."

They all stood awkwardly for a few seconds. Ochacho despite her nerves felt a soft smile creep onto her face. "Thank you for trying to reassure us. That's very kind of you." Iida quickly followed suit. "Yes indeed! Your concern is very much appreciated. "The bespectacled teen bowed as the other boy.

Bruce pursed his lips into a thin line and quickly turned his head away. "Don't go thinking too much into it. It's just the considerate thing to do."

The other four teens silently laughed. They had heard that phrase from Mina when she told the rest of the class how Bruce acted like a, quote, unquote, "total tsundere".

 _Though I prefer sexy tsundere chicks, this is surprisingly fitting for him,_ thought Mineta. "Wayne, you're rather cute," Tsuyu casually said.

The teen's head snapped towards them, his eyes wide, brows creased, and lips now pursed in embarrassment. Bruce's cheeks were now bright red.

"C-cute!?" he sputtered as he clumsily fumbled with his hands.

Now the four 1-A students began to audibly laugh. It was endearing to see someone they viewed as the highest of the high act like an everyday, socially awkward teenager.

Their laughter caused the redness to spread from Bruce's cheeks to the entire top half of his face. He then abruptly straightened up, his shoulders squared and his arms at his sides.

"I-! Hope your friend recovers! Now excuse me!"

Bruce hurried past them, their laughs fading into the background. Once he was a good distance away, he clapped himself several times on the cheeks. "Calm down! Get it together! Focus on the next match which is…" He paused to let his overheated brain to remember. He perked up the instant he recalled.

"Diana versus Blood!"

He immediately took off running.

* * *

Wally ran down the hall and frantically looked around. "J'onzz! J'onzz, where are you?" he called out. He quickly searched the branch halls and found one had an exit food that led outside. He slowly opened it and peeked out of the slight opening. Wally saw his friend sitting against the wall, his face hiding in his arms resting on his knees. The redhead could hear that J'onn's muffled breathing was shaking. Wally pushed the door all the way open.

"J'onzz?"

The taller redhead shot upright like he hadn't realized Wally was there until now. A mixture of cold sweat and heavy tears stained his cheeks and dripped down his chin.

Wally was taken aback. He had never seen the other teen in utter distress. J'onn was even more stoic than Bruce and maintained a neutral expression a majority of the time.

"J'onzz, are you okay?"

The green-skinned teen hastily tried to wipe away his tears. "Y-Yeah. I was overwhelmed… by Todoroki's fire." Wally gazed sadly at his friend and stepped out fully, the door quietly clicking closed. "I'm sure many people were overwhelmed but not to this extent. What's wrong J'onzz?" he asked. Wally's friend was silently and not looking at him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he gently added, "Let me take you to Recovery Girl."

"No, no…" declined J'onn. "It's just… fire is a reminder… of an event. I thought I had overcome it… but that giant blast brought everything back!" The redhead gripped the sides of his head, his fingers digging into his hair. "The brightness-! The heat-!" Tears flowed down his cheeks again. "I could hear and see it clearly! The screams! Their-!"

"J'onzz!" a stern, yet soft voice called out.

J'onn's eyes snapped open, and he sucked in a sharp breath. His heart was thumping against his ribcage. He looked over to Wally who was now kneeling next to him. The other teen had an expression of concern. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he reiterated. "If you really don't want to go to the nurse, then let me stay with you."

J'onn stared at his friend. "But West… you'll miss out on the rest of the Sports Festival." The shorter teen shook his head. "That's okay. I can always watch next year's. Besides, I'm not going to just leave you here." Wally smiled softly, and J'onn felt all his tension slowly melt away. He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Thank you," he quietly said. The redhead laughed a bit. "There's no need to thank me. We are friends after all." His face turned a bit stern again. "I won't tell the others about this. You can open up at your own pace."

A few more tears strayed from J'onn's eyes, and he shyly smiled and nodded. Wally returned the gesture then briefly glanced at his hands before looking back up at J'onn. The green-skinned teenager understood what Wally wanted and nodded. The smaller redhead's smile broadened, and he wrapped his arms around J'onn's shoulders, engulfing him in a warm hug. The two sat in a comfortable silence as they forget about their problems for the rest of the day.

* * *

Two heroes ran side-by-side. They and a few other pros had been called in to investigate a tip. A dangerous serial killer had been spotted downtown.

"You should really go ahead. We both know you're much faster than me," Ingenium said to his partner. He received a good-natured smirk. "Thanks for the compliment, but we're partners. And partners stick together." The Flash's face quickly turned serious. "Especially in a situation like this."

The two heroes passed by an alleyway and both felt chills down their spines. An intense aura leaked from the narrow passageway and grabbed their attention.

A potent bloodlust.

"Over there!"

Ingenium used his Quirk to boost himself into the air while Flash kicked up his speed. Lightning crackled from his feet as he made his way to the target. Both heroes arrived and boxed in the villain.

"It's him! The Hero Killer!"

Red eyes glanced between the heroes. A long tongue licked the villain's lips.

* * *

The two students stood across each other on the stage. The stadium was loud with cheering. This matchup was particularly exciting because it was between members of Class 0-JL.

Jason stood with his arms crossed and his face stoic. Diana was a bit nervous as indicated by the sweat trailing down the side of her face.

 _Blood has shown he is capable of hand-to-hand combat. I don't think he is stronger than me though. The real problem is his Quirk._

She thought back to Jason's fight with Tokoyami. _Etrigan is fast and durable. If I can find an opening past it… I can quickly take down Blood and win!_

"Start!"

"Go forth, Etrigan!" "I know!"

The red-energy body leaped out of Jason's abdomen and darted straight towards Diana. She quickly brought her arms to guard and the ramming punch sent her skidding back. She dug her heels in and came to a halt. She saw Etrigan winding up for another and managed to dodge. Concrete was torn up by the force of the Quirk's attack.

Etrigan turned towards Diana, its perpetual open-mouth grin widening. Usually, it looked pretty cartoonish, but when that grin was aimed at you while its claws flexed, ready to slash at you, it becomes pretty scary.

The girl dodged by jumping into the air as Etrigan's claws broke the ground. Jason had his Quirk swipe up, sending debris at his opponent. Diana flinched but quickly cleared her head. She either kicked and punched the concrete pieces out of her way or into smaller bits. A shadow suddenly fell over her. Diana looked up over her shoulder and saw Etrigan's hand rapidly coming down towards her.

With a twist of her body, Diana landed a roundhouse kick that sent it back with a flinch. She then backflipped and used the palm as a launchpad. She shot straight at Etrigan's head. With a determined yell, the girl drew back her fist and smashed it into the side of the Quirk's face. The blow sent Etrigan reeling while she landed back on her feet. Diana took a quick glance at Jason and was surprised he wasn't his usual stoic self. His posture looked as if he had stumbled back while his face was down. He looked up and wiped a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Jason's cheek was red and bruising was setting in.

Diana was perplexed. She hadn't gone anywhere near her classmate. The only thing she had attacked was…

The girl's eyes widening with realization. "... Etrigan."

A cry from her side brought her back to the fight, and she narrowly dodged a slashing attack that sent a few strands of her hair flying away.

 _I have to confirm my idea… sorry Blood._

Diana sent a powerful kick into Etrigan's outstretched forearm. Her foot sunk in and the arm basically bent around the point of contact. Diana quickly pulled her leg back, landed in a crouch, and launched back at her target. She unleashed a flurry of punches that peppered Etrigan's arm. A final roundhouse kick sent the limb reeling back. Now to see if she was right.

Diana looked back at Jason. The other teen was leaning forward and cradling his left arm close to him. As he raised his head, his bangs shifted to reveal his right eye was squeezed shut in pain. He used his hand to hold his left forearm which was covered with heavy purple bruising.

"Dammit…" Jason swore through gritted teeth.

"So I was right. Etrigan is strong but can only take so much. And heavy damage done to it-"

"- is reflected onto Blood," Bruce finished explaining to his friends. "I noticed it happened with Class 1-A's Ashido's acid Quirk and during Blood's fight with Tokoyami. It was like he was spontaneously getting hurt. However, now we know the actual reason."

Diana peeked at Etrigan through the corner of his eye. It was hanging suspiciously back. Meanwhile, Jason was still in a defenseless posture.

"He's in a wide-open spot. This is my chance."

She took off running at her opponent. Etrigan shrunk down and was drawn back into its host. Jason was facing down as if he was resigned to his loss. Diana closed in and readied for the final punch…

"Now Etrigan!"

Red energy surrounded his left arm. Diana had to switch from offense to defense. She used her arm to block a palm strike that sent her skidding away. Before she could get her senses straight, her opponent charged, his demon arm drawn back. A powerful strike caused Diana to be thrown to the side. She hit the ground, rolled, and skidded into a crouch. The girl was given no time to really react as Jason leaped into the air. His fist crashed into her arms which were now in an X-formation guard. The ground underneath and around her cracked. Diana grunted at the force behind her opponent's assault. With a growl, Jason landed in front of her and unleashed a powerful punch. The girl wasn't able to get out of the way and the attack landed with full force.

Diana grunted as she was thrown back. She dug her heels into the concrete, kicking up chunks, as she tried to slow herself down. Finally, she came to a stop.

"Prince is out of bounds! Blood advances!"

The stadium erupted in cheers, and the two fighters panted heavily, catching their breathes. Diana leaned down and rested her hands on her knees. Etrigan's red energy disappeared back into Jason, and he stumbled a bit though he remained standing up.

"You sure… went at me. What… was that… sudden boost?" Diana asked. Jason swallowed before answering. "We nearly got pushed to the edge… I had to end it quickly… before Etrigan took over." He didn't elaborate any further and stumbled off the stage, leaving his classmate staring after.

 _He did mention during our calvary team-up… that Etrigan can become stronger in dire situations… at the cost of control and rationality._

* * *

Diana walked back to her seat. "Hey Prince," Bruce greeted her, "You did a good job out there." She sighed and plopped down in her seat. "Yeah, but I lost." Clark turned to her. "Still you made it this far, and you were able to hold your ground against Blood. He won because he pushed you out of bounds, not because he actually beat you." Diana smiled and straightened up in her seat. "You're right! Plus this just shows I have room to improve myself."

* * *

"Alright everyone! That wraps up the second round! Now some of you are probably wondering how we'll continue with an odd number of contestants. Not to worry; we have a solution!" reassured Present Mic. "For the third round, we will continue to use the random match-up method. Only one student will be kept out of the round. When two winners come out of the third round, the side student will be matched up against one of them. Depending on the outcome, he will either continue or fall out of the competition. Then the final two contestants will out for the No. 1 spot! Are you all ready?!"

The spectators roared as the matches for the third round flipped onto the holo-screen.

 **Clark Kent vs. Shoto Todoroki**

 **Jason Blood vs. Katsuki Bakugo**

Bruce's shoulders slumped a bit. "Looks like you got left out Wayne," said Diana. "Still these two fights will definitely be intense," Shayera commented. The winged girl then looked around. "Hey, where are West and J'onzz?" "I texted West a while ago asking. He said J'onzz wasn't feeling well so West took him to get something to drink. They might be gone for the rest of the festival," Hal answered. "Ouch, that sucks. Should we go after them?" asked Shayera. "No. West said J'onzz doesn't want to be crowded right now. He also doesn't want all of us to miss out on the tournament." Hal put his phone back in his pocket. "Plus, Kent's match is starting soon."

* * *

Meanwhile, Deku had been healed enough to walk back to the stands. With Dr. Mid-Nite's guidance, the surgery had gone smoothly though his arm still had to be bandaged up and carried in a sling.

"Deku, you're here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Ochaco worriedly inquired. Her friend took his seat between her and Tenya. "I want to properly witness everyone's effort to becoming a hero," he said, "Who is fighting next?"

"It's Todoroki against Kent," Tsuyu informed him. "Those two will probably end up destroying the field. It'll be even worse than what you did, Midoriya," said Mineta. The frog girl smacked him on the head with her tongue. "I don't like how you're rubbing salt in his wounds." "But I'm just saying the truth!"

Izuku wasn't paying attention to them. "Todoroki is definitely strong, but Kent… His Quirk appears to let him power up from the Sun. We all thought it was just super strength…" He thought back to Iida's fight against Clark. "I'm pretty sure it is much more…"

* * *

"Alright, people! Here we have two powerhouses facing off! From Class 1-A: Shoto Todoroki! And from Class 0-JL: Clark Kent!"

As the two stood oppose to each other, Todoroki wrestled with himself. When he used his fire against Midoriya, he wasn't even thinking about it. For the briefest moment, his father's oppressive shadow over him vanished. It felt… natural to unleash his left side. He flexed his hand.

 _Kent… I'm sure his strength exceeds even Midoriya's… and he definitely has more control over his Quirk. I'll need to do more against him if I'm going to win._ The teen glanced at his left hand. _Will I allow myself to?_

"Start!"

A wave of ice sprung forth from Todoroki. The mountain of ice completely covered Clark, who made no move to dodge.

"Todoroki sends out the first attack!"

Deku and his friends were confused. "He just stood there and took it," the greenette murmured.

"Is… that it?" Kaminari cautiously asked. "Tch! Dumbass. Sunflower wouldn't have made it this far just to be one-shot by Icy-Hot," growled Bakugo. The blonde had been irate after waking up from being gassed by Bruce and only because more so when he realized he had been restrained to his seat by a copious amount of Sero's tape.

Class 0-JL watched tensely. "What's Kent a-doin'? He could've easily dodged that," Greg questioned. His friend nodded. "True. That means he must be planning something," Justin said. Oliver's smile widened. "Of course he is. Kent wouldn't be beaten by this guy so quickly." Dinah glanced at the boy. "You really have a lot of confidence in him, huh?" "Why not?" Vic piped up, "It is only natural to believe in others you trust."

The stadium was silent as the cold air settled. Then a muffled sound began to echo from within the ice. Each time it became clearer and clearer. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ice wall, and a final blow shattered a large section and sent chunks flying. Shoto jumped back to avoid being hit, while Clark emerged from the ice. The black-haired teen was frowning.

"That's all you got?" He cracked his knuckles. "I expected more!"

Clark positioned himself, and Shoto knew he was about to charge and readied his right side. Clark kicked off the ground and flew across the stadium. Todorokie thrust his hand forward, but his opponent ducked just before contact. Shoto's eyes widened at the other teen's reaction speed, and then they widened further when Clark's fist slammed into his abdomen. He was thrown back and skidded across the stage. Shoto quickly formed an ice barrier to prevent himself from going out of bounds. He coughed harshly and slowly stood up. Clark was standing still and flexing his hand.

"I know you're strong Todoroki. We've all seen what you're capable of. So use your fire against me!" he demanded. Shoto gasped and stared at his opponent. The other teen had an aggressive expression but on the inside, he felt a bit guilty.

 _Sorry… I overheard some of your conversation with Midoriya… and I have an idea of what you went through. Even so you shouldn't reject your own power. You should let yourself reach your full potential._ Clark's inner self formed a deadpan expression upon hearing his words. Looks like Bruce's abrasive side was rubbing off on him.

Clark could see his opponent's hesitation deep in his eyes. _I'm sorry for what your father did to you and your mom. But he isn't your biggest obstacle now._ He took off towards him. _You are!_

Todoroki threw up his right hand and frost began to build up. Clark's frown deepened, and he kicked to the side, positioning himself to his opponent's left. He grabbed the other teen's arm and jumped into the air with incredible speed. Shoto was shocked by the action. He was even more shocked to see that Clark had positioned his hand to be right under his face.

 _Does he want me to use my fire right in his face!?_

Clark couldn't keep this posture up for much longer so he quickly swung Todoroki around and launched him towards the ground. The falling teen conjured an ice wall that he surfed on to avoid impact while Clark floated down to the ground. The two teens stood facing each other, anticipating the next move. Shoto was still unsure of what to do. He just couldn't forget what his fire had inadvertently caused his family. The other teen internally sighed when he saw his opponent's uncertainty.

 _Guess I'll have to pull out the big guns. Sorry, Todoroki._

"Fine!" Clark shouted, catching Shoto off-guard. "If you aren't going to take this seriously, I'll end it now! Someone like you doesn't deserve to be No. 1!" He leaped into the air and headed in for a final punch. "I can't believe anyone could think you could be a hero!" Shoto was stunned by that last statement.

 _Shoto… you can be the kind of hero you want to be._

The flames ignited, and Todoroki unleashed a torrent fire at Clark. As the wave of heat and light closed in, his face shifted into an aggressive grin. "Now we can get serious."

The flames engulfed him and spiraled into the sky.

The stadium was stunned by the display of power. Deku, Uraraka, and Tenya stared. "He's using his fire again," said Izuku. Meanwhile, Class 0-JL was tense. All except for one. Bruce leaned back with his arms crossed. _So Kent decided to help Todoroki as well. Unlike Midoriya, Kent isn't jeopardizing his chance of winning._

Todoroki kept the flames going even after the frost had melted off and turned to steam. He was confused though. His opponent didn't try to dodge. In fact, it looked like Clark dove right in.

"So you're using all your power now."

The voice caught him off-guard, and he abruptly stopped his fire. When everything cleared up, the sight stunned everyone.

Clark was floating in mid-air and most shocking of all, there wasn't a single burn on him. His hair was completely fine and his uniform was slightly singed. Clark brushed a small flame off his sleeve while smirking aggressively.

"Then I will too."

Clark zoomed down and smashed his fist into the ground, sending a shockwave that sent chunks of concrete and Shoto flying into the air. In a near-instant, he was behind a startled Shoto who barely had time to turn to look at him before a punch drove into his lower back. With a gasp, the teen was sent slamming into the stage. He coughed harshly as he struggled to his knees. Shoto glanced up to see Clark flying towards him. The teen quickly threw up an ice barrier. His opponent easily smashed through without slowing down. Clark's fist connected with Todoroki's face, sending him skipping across the concrete.

"W-What the heck!? Kent can fly and take a fire blast to the face!? I thought his Quirk just made him super strong!" exclaimed Present Mic. "Kent's Solar Energy Quirk is much more than that," Dr. Mid-Nite began, "It amplifies all his physical capabilities and even grants him the power of flight. Thing is he never always had that ability. He developed it in his first year of junior high." His co-commentators stared at him. Present Mic blinked. "He… got a new ability…? Was his Quirk mislabeled?" Dr. Mid-Nite shook his head. "No. Kent's Quirk is extremely unique. It's best described as an "evolving Quirk". As Kent grows older and stronger, his Quirk will continue to change." The other heroes' eyes widened. Aizawa spoke next. "How did such a Quirk go unnoticed until now?" His co-worker shrugged. "I can't answer for sure, but Kent did live far away in the countryside. The distance likely hid him."

The stadium was silent with intrigue. "An… evolving Quirk?" murmured Izuku. "I've never heard of such a thing," said Uraraka. "Incredible…" breathed Iida. The teen then felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Excuse me. I need to take this. It's my mother." The bespectacled teen ran off for privacy.

* * *

Outside the stadium, Wally and J'onn watched the fight on the jumbotron. The shorter teen bit into his fifth taiyaki while his friend chewed on mitarashi dango.

"Hmm, so Kent has a real super Quirk. So cool!" Wally exclaimed. His classmate nodded in agreement. The speedster perked up when he felt his phone vibrate. He checked it and saw it was his mom. "Hang on, it's my mom." He hit 'Answer' and brought the phone up. "Hello Mom! What-"

"Wally, Wally! Please stay calm. It's… it's your uncle… he… he…!"

Wally's smile fell as he listened to his mother. His half-eaten taiyaki was dropped to the ground. J'onn eyed him worriedly.

"West… are you okay?"

The other redhead quietly put his phone away. He turned towards his friend with downcast eyes. "It's… my uncle. Uncle Barry. He is in the hospital. I… need to go. Tell the others it was a family emergency." Before J'onn could reply, Wally took off; not with his Quirk but still fast.

"Hang on! West!" the green-skinned teen called out, but his friend didn't hear him.

"... Thank you," he whispered after Wally's retreating form.

* * *

Clark grunted as he threw a large shard of ice at Todoroki. The other teen jumped back, and the projectile shattered against the ground. Clark dove and grabbed his opponent by the face. Shoto quickly retaliated by grasping Clark's face and igniting his left side. The fire didn't even scathe him but the brightness did force him to close his eyes and let go of the other teen. This gave Shoto a few seconds to breathe.

 _What can I do? We're both tired, but he clearly isn't as worn out as me. He can easily break through my ice and my fire does nothing. I can't do anything against him! Unless…_

The teen glanced between his hands. Then large structures began to form, but they appeared to have no defensive or offensive purpose. Clark blinked confusingly.

"What's he doing?"

As soon as the ice was done, Shoto cranked up his fire immediately. Ice melted and turned into vapor, covering the stage completely in steam.

"What's this? Todoroki has blanketed the whole stage with a smokescreen! I can't see a thing!" Present Mic exclaimed.

Clark looked up. _There's really no point in flying. The steam is so thick I can't see six feet in front of me._ Then he heard a familiar sound. A column of ice pierced through the steam and rammed into his abdomen. He was surprised by the attack and actually coughed from the air being knocked out of his lungs. Clark rolled a bit before getting up in a crouch. Another block of ice slammed into his face, knocking him to the side. The taste of iron filled his mouth. He had bitten his tongue.

Clark got to his feet and spat to the side. "So this is your plan," he called out while wiping blood dripping from his mouth. "Lower visibility then chip away at me with surprise attacks. I'll admit, it's not bad." A smirk grew on his face. "Let's see if my newest ability can be useful here."

Clark exhaled then began to suck in a deep, long breath. All the steam in the entire area was drawn into his lungs. Shoto watched in shock as his opponent cleared up the fog in such a way. Clark saw the other teen out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned and blew the entire mixture of air and steam at him. Todoroki regained his sense and brought his arms to guard. The air blast hit and drove him back. He tried to set up ice barriers but was slammed through them.

 _This force…! It's greater than Midoriya's!_

Finally, the air blast dispelled enough to lessen the strength, and Todoroki stopped before the boundary line. The teen panted while looking down at the concrete.

 _This guy… is strong! Too strong! He's almost like-!_

Shoto heard footsteps and raised his head to meet Clark. The taller teen started down at him.

Todoroki's fire came to life, and he thrust his hand forward. Clark easily twisted out of the way and sent a punch into his opponent's abdomen. Shoto was smashed through his remaining ice and into the stadium wall.

Everything was silent. Shoto slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Todoroki is out of bounds! Kent advances!"

The crowd cheered though Class 1-A was silent. One of their strongest had been beaten. Deku was worried for reasons only he knew. _He lost…_

"That was the longest fight anyone has had against Kent, and he still won," said Kaminari. "He's an absolute monster! The scariest in that JL class!" whined Mineta. "Nuh-uh!" exclaimed a startled Ashido. "Wayne is much more scary!" Eijiro nodded. "Yeah, I can second that." "Third!" Kaminari called out.

Izuku stared at his knees. "They're both scary. Wayne has made it to the near end of the tournament. He is standing with the likes of Kacchan, Todoroki, Kent, and Blood. All while having a useless Quirk. And Kent. His Quirk alone puts him leagues above many of us. It also can't be just those two. Even if they weren't shown now, their entire class-"

"AHH! Shut the fuck up Deku! Quit spewing crap about Rich Boy and Sunflower!" Bakugo shouted. The blonde struggled and managed to grab several wrappings of tape. He immediately blew them up and that let him rip through the rest of his bindings.

"That Class 0-JL is nothing special! I'm going to kill that emo fucker of theirs right now!"

* * *

"Bakugo is relentless! He's rushing in over and over again!" announced Present Mic.

Bakugo landed a vicious hit on Etrigan's head. Jason winced as he felt the sting and heat of the explosion on his own forehead. "Etrigan, grab him!" The sentient Quirk attempted to follow his host's command, but Bakugo used his explosions to redirect himself. He unleashed another one that knocked Etrigan's hand away. Jason winced as a burn formed on the back of his hand.

 _Everyone clearly saw in my fight against Prince. If Etrigan takes too much damage, it shows up on me._

"Why are you holding back, Emo Punk!? I've seen what you can do when you fought Princess! Don't think I'm a weakling like her!"

Bakugo cartwheeled through the air while unleashing several explosions, becoming a fire wheel. He slammed into Etrigan's face, causing the Quirk to cry out in pain. Jason's hands flew to his face and became stained with blood as he cradled the diagonal cut that sprang across.

 _Dammit…!_

" _He is a danger to you. I'll put him down with our power that is true!"_

 _No!_ Jason demanded as he felt control slipping. _Don't go over the edge Etrigan!_

Another explosion scorched Etrigan's head. And another and another. The teen tightened his grip on control.

 _He's… trying to force me into that state… of when I was against Prince._ He squeezed his eyes shut. _But… I can't guarantee to keep Etrigan's worst impulses in check again._

Bakugo roared as he landed another fiery hit. His opponent's eyes shot open.

"Enough!"

An arm lashed out to swat the blonde away. It connected though Bakugo managed to block with his arm. He was sent to the ground. The blonde grinned viciously. "Alright. You finally- huh?" His smile fell to confusion when he saw Jason with his hands up in the surrender gesture. His Quirk was drawn back in.

"I withdraw."

"... What?"

"Blood has withdrawn! Bakugo wins this match!"

The stadium cheered while Classes 0-JL and 1-A were confused. "He gave up?" Izuku questioned. "Bakugo was giving him a hard time, but it wasn't that bad, right?" Kyoka asked. Momo pondered. "I think it might have been something else."

Bruce glanced at Diana. "Prince. Do you think…" The girl nodded. "Blood threw the match, so he wouldn't lose control on Bakugo."

The blonde glared as the other teen walked away. "You're… just giving up? You… fucker! We barely started!" Katsuki took off after Jason. "We're finishing this!"

A cement wall sprouted before him, and he skidded to a halt.

"Bakugo," came a stern voice. He glared at Cementoss. "The match is over," the pro hero said. Katsuki snarled but made no move to go after Jason when the wall was brought down.

"You fucking coward!" That caused Jason to stop. "You just gave up because you were scared of me! You're just running away!"

Jason quickly turned to glare at Bakugo. "You're correct; I am scared but not of you. If you could see what Etrigan is **really** capable of, you would be too." He then walked away in silence.

* * *

The quarter-finals were over. Now everyone was talking about the semi-final. Who would be fighting?

"Wayne definitely has to fight because he was left out this round," said Izuku. "He'd be up against either Bakugo or Kent. So he's going to lose," said Sero. "No," Ashido disagreed, "Despite everything… I think he can win this match."

"Class 1-A only has one of their left while Class 0-JL has two," Tetsutetsu observed. "I think we set our eyes on the wrong rival." Itsuka leaned over towards Neito. "Looks like your assumption was wrong," she teased. Her classmate waved her away. "Naw, they just had the luck of being a brand new class. It kept them under the radar," he replied.

* * *

"Alright everybody! Here we are! The penultimate match!"

The crowd cheered as Bruce stared at his opponent.

"What's with that damn look, you fucking Rich Boy?" Bakugo growled, "I'll kill you!"

Bruce quirked an eyebrow. "You're welcome to try."

Katsuki gritted his teeth, and a vein throbbed on his temple.

"Start!"

* * *

 **Now for the Preview!**

This is it!

The second to last obstacle to being No. 1.

 **Next time:** Penultimate Match: Bruce vs. Katsuki

Just how do I beat him?

* * *

 **So I hope everyone is safe and healthy during these hard times. Please take care of yourselves physically and mentally. Though it might be a while, this pandemic will end. We've just got to hold out a bit longer.**

 **We are finally nearing the end of the Sports Festival arc. I'm excited for the internships.**

 **Also, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but PLEASE do not repeatedly comment asking me when the next update will be. I really don't need my email filling up with comments asking about the next chapter, and I've already had to banish some people into spam. I do not spend all my free time on this fanfiction even though I love writing it and appreciate your enthusiasm for this story.**


	9. Penultimate Match: Bruce vs Katsuki

Izuku stared intently at the stage. Kacchan was going up against Bruce Wayne. He honestly did not know how this fight would go. Bakugo was amazing, but Wayne… Deku surprisingly had little to go off of. He could tell that the teen was very intelligent as his gadgets and strategic thinking demonstrated. His fights against Kirishima and Ashido were so short that they didn't show off much of Bruce's capabilities. Izuku could see that he was very fast and had quick reflexes, and he must be quite strong if he was able to knock out Kirishima with a single kick.

"Kacchan has trained his Quirk since middle school to prepare himself for U.A.. Even though he can still get stronger, he is by no means weak. Wayne has a useless Quirk; he said it himself. Kacchan will definitely go all-out on him, too. And yet… this match doesn't feel clear-cut," he murmured. Ochacho turned to him. "Something tells me this will be the hardest match these two have so far."

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually worried for Wayne," Mari said. "Why's that? Ya thinkin' that loud-mouth varmint will take down Wayne?" asked Greg. "No… maybe," she replied uncertainly.

Nathaniel was tense. "I want to believe that Wayne can win… but Bakugo isn't like his previous opponents. This won't be easy." Arthur glanced at his friend. "That guy does have tenacity, I'll give him that. So does Wayne, swish." The blonde crossed his arms. "However, that isn't enough to determine who will win."

Zatanna wriggled her hands. "I'm scared. That Bakugo guy really has it in for Wayne. He might seriously hurt him." Jason's frown deepened. "Bakugo has a savage way of combat. Wayne likely will not escape unscathed. But I think he can win. Bakugo may outclass him in terms of Quirk strength, but Wayne outclasses him in everything else."

* * *

"Alright, everyone! Here is a highly anticipated fight! The second to last round! From Class 1-A: Katsuki Bakugo! Versus- From Class 0-JL: Bruce Wayne!"

The stadium echoed with cheers and whistles as the opponents glowered at each other.

 _This fucking Rich Boy… he's just some Quirkless trash that has a lot of money to throw around. He doesn't deserve to be here_. The blonde flexed his hand. _I'll show him he's out of his depth!_

Bruce's eyes narrowed when he saw Katsuki aggressively smiled. _He's planning something. He's a bully, but he isn't stupid. He could easily overpower me with his Quirk. The versatility he shows with it is honestly impressive. So the best chance I have at winning is by outsmarting him._

"Start!"

Bakugo blasted off towards his opponent. "You're dead, Rich Boy!" Bruce scowled and seemingly braced for impact. At the last second, he threw a bat that blew up in Bakugo's face. That didn't slow down the blonde at all. In fact, it just enraged him even more. With a yell, he gunned towards Bruce, who dodged by rolling to the side. Katsuki quickly redirected himself and headed straight towards the other teen. He slammed his palm into the ground, blowing Bruce back and breaking concrete. Bruce slid back on his feet, his expression not changing. The blonde gritted his teeth.

"What's with that look, Rich Boy? You've had that same look since the beginning. You're looking down on me, aren't you!?"

He rocketed at him again. "I'll blast that damn look off your fucking face!" While he closed the distance between them, Bruce made no move to dodge. He was watching and waiting for the right moment.

 _Careful… it will show… the perfect opening…_

"DIE!" exclaimed Bakugo as he extended his right arm in a wide swing.

 _There!_

Bruce caught his opponent's arm, much to his surprise. With his own determined yell, Bruce threw Katsuki over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. The blonde gasped on impact.

The move brought back memories. Of when that damn nerd Deku managed to take him by surprise during the battle trial. When that loser managed to win. When he managed to beat him.

Bakugo's eyes shot open and explosive red met icy blue. Still lying on his back, he brought his hands together. Bruce's eyes widened.

"Stun Grenade!"

The resulting flash of light obscured the stage. Bruce managed to close his eyes before he was blinded and quickly backflipped away. Once the light died, Bruce fired a grapple at the now standing Bakugo. The blonde used an explosion to throw it off course, but that gave enough time for his opponent to throw three bats at him. Bakugo batted them away with another explosion, then he felt something wrap around his leg. He only managed to sneak a shocked glance down before Bruce yanked the grapple hard. Katsuko was pulled through the air and was slammed face-first into the concrete.

The students of Class 1-A winced. "Damn, that's gotta hurt," said Kaminari. "It's unbelievable. Bakugo hasn't gotten a single hit on Wayne," Sero said.

The cable unraveled from Katsuki's leg while he struggled to his elbows, and Bruce reeled back in his grapple. The blonde stood up and turned to glare at Bruce. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth.

"Damn you… damn you Rich Boy… you're just like him… that damn Deku!"

Bakugo used his Quirk to rush at the other teen.

 _He's suddenly become even more enraged. He was reminded of Midoriya? What is with these two?_

No time to think about that. He had to focus on the irate blonde coming at him.

 _He is letting his anger take over. That'll leave him open._

He fired his grapple to distract the other teen again. Once again Bakugo knocked it out of the way with an explosion, but this time he hit it an angle that sent the grapple hook back at Bruce. The black-haired teen's eyes widened, and he tried to dodge, but the metal made contact and left a gash across his cheek. This gave an opening for Bakugo to attack. He struck Bruce's left side and unleashed a blast. His opponent shouted in pain.

"Wow! Bakugo manages to land a solid blow on Wayne!" Present exclaimed.

That caused a stir in the stands.

"That's the first time anyone's hit Wayne," said Clark.

Izuku watched intently. "As I thought, Kacchan will be a difficult opponent for Wayne. It's going to be a long fight."

Bruce was still reeling from the pain of his scarred side being struck, giving Katsuki the chance to get behind him and fire another explosion.

"DIE!" he shouted.

The stinging heat engulfed the teen's back and sent him rolling on the ground. He managed to stop in a crouch. Bruce glared at his opponent.

Bakugo returned with his own scathing eyes. "You see now, Rich Boy? Quirkless trash like you shouldn't be on the same stage with me." Bruce sneered. "If I'm trash, then why bother talking down to me? Do you just have to hear what you say to reassure yourself that you might be able to beat me?"

His opponent snarled like a beast. "Shut up!" He blasted into the air and rocketed towards Bruce. "I don't need reassurance! I know I can beat you!" He extended his palm forward and fired an explosion that Bruce dodged by ducking down into a full split. He quickly exited out of the position and swung his legs backward and up. His heel slammed into the back of a surprised Bakugo's head, forcing his face into the ground. Bruce kept his own face off the concrete by propping himself on his bent arms. He pushed off his hands and backflipped away. Bakugo coughed and spat out blood.

"Whoa! That was one heck of a kick! Wayne has got some wild flexibility there!" commented Present Mic. His co-commentators nodded in agreement. _I've taught him all I know about escapology. It's only natural that his flexibility would also vastly improve,_ Aizawa reminisced back to his earlier lessons with Bruce. _His physical capabilities are nearly peaked. It's one of the factors that has allowed him to make it this far,_ thought Dr. Mid-Nite.

Bakugo wiped blood dripping from his nose with his thumb. With a determined yell, he sent a large explosion that tore through the concrete of the stage. Bruce rolled out of the way and looked up to see the blonde heading straight for him. He threw two explosive bats at him, but they just did little to deter Bakugo. He just tanked the blasts and continued on his path towards the other teen. He twisted through the air and struck Bruce hard on his left side. He didn't flinch or grunt and immediately grabbed Bakugo's wrist. He pulled his opponent close and rammed his elbow into the blonde's jaw. Katsuki hissed as his head was thrown to the side. He then heaved as Bruce struck him in the abdomen. His opponent released his wrist, allowing him to stagger back. The ache in his stomach caused him to lean forward a bit. Bruce spun to build up momentum for the kick that landed on the side of Katsuki's head. The force sent the blonde sliding on the ground. As he slowly got back to his feet, he watched as Bruce brushed the lingering smoke away from his uniform. He growled at the other's nonchalance. "If you think hitting me there is going to work twice, you're mistaken."

Bakugo "Tch!"-ed and fired several explosions at the other teen. Bruce dodged each of them but had to also focus on avoiding all the concrete debris the blasts kicked up. The blonde used that to his advantage and maneuvered behind his opponent. He pulled his arm back in a wide swing in preparation for a large explosion.

"Now die!"

Everything slowed down from Bruce's perspective as he turned to side-eye the other teenager. With a flick of his finger, his bo staff extended back and struck Bakugo in the stomach. The sudden jab stunned him, and his explosion died. Bruce then used the staff to lift Bakugo up and over before throwing him away towards the ground. He was quickly back on his feet. He watched as his opponent briefly spun the staff in his hand before getting in a stance. He growled.

"So you need a weapon? Can't do anything without your fancy-ass gadgets, Rich Boy?"

Bruce quirked an eyebrow. "You do realize that many pros need support equipment to do hero work right? You do too if those gauntlets of your hero costume mean anything," he said as he remembered when he first met Bakugo. _He's still going to pay for trying to attack Clark._

He ran towards the blonde. Bakugo thrust his arm forward to throw an explosion at him. Bruce ducked under and slid across the concrete to get behind his opponent. He cracked his metal bo against the back of Katsuki's knees causing him to cry out in pain. He buckled a bit, and Bruce sent a high kick into the blonde's back that left him sprawling on the ground. Katsuki got onto his hands and knees and looked up and behind him to see Bruce up in the air and ready to bring the bo staff down on him. The blonde quickly rolled out of the way. The metal connected with the concrete with a resonating "CLANK!".

Bruce didn't pause in his attack. He sent a powerful kick into Bakugo's abdomen that lifted him up into the air a bit then swung his bo staff down on him sending him back to the ground. As Bakugo gasped while lightly bouncing off the concrete, Bruce unleashed another kick that sent him rolling away.

Katsuki coughed as he swayed back onto his feet. The other teen didn't give him the chance to catch his breath. Bruce rushed at him and thrust a barrage of rapid jabs. Bakugo just barely brought up his arms to shield himself. Bruce drew the staff back and a final jab struck his opponent's arm guard. Katsuki grunted as he was forced back. Ignoring the aches in his forearms, Bakugo threw them out to send a wave of explosions. Bruce simply leaped over the blast and over his opponent. He struck the back of the blonde's head with his staff, making him stumble. Bruce landed on one hand and flipped himself back onto his feet. He then twisted his body towards Katsuki and the bo staff caught him in the waist and threw him to the side.

The spectators watched in awe. Bruce was getting hit after hit against Bakugo, and he showed no sign of stopping.

* * *

Shayera smirked. "Looks like Bakugo is learning just how awesome Wayne is. Maybe he'll think twice about calling him 'Quirkless trash'," she growled at the end. "I doubt that," Hal said, "He's definitely going to be pissed after this though."

"That Wayne guy sure is giving Bakugo a hard time," commented Kyoka. Momo nodded in agreement. "His fighting skills are very impressive. He can hold himself against Bakugo so easily." She sighed and stared down at her lap. _Though my Quirk is stronger than his, we are similar. Our Quirks aren't suited for combat, and we have to rely on our other strengths. Only… he can actually do something practical in a fight._

* * *

Katsuki coughed as he rolled onto his back. He struggled to sit up and propped himself up on his elbow. He glared at Bruce with absolute fury.

 _This damn Rich Boy… he shouldn't even be here… he's Quirkless! The only thing he has is all his money! That's all he's got! So why…!_

Bruce's eyes trailed down to Bakugo's hands. He quickly averted his gaze to the side. The other teen's temper immediately spiked.

"Don't you dare fucking look down on me!" he roared.

He blasted towards the other teen who immediately brought up his staff to block an attack. However, Bakugo instead grabbed the middle of the staff and released several small explosions as he held on. Bruce squinted at the close brightness and heat.

 _What is he doing?_

Bruce quickly flung Katsuki away, and he willingly let go of the metal bo and backed away. Bruce glanced at his weapon and stared at the glowing orange segment.

 _This staff is made from titanium. He compressed several explosions to heat it up to the melting point._

With a determined yell, Katsuki rocketed at Bruce. The other teen dodged, but the blonde used his Quirk to twist through the air, and he drove his heel into the softened middle of Bruce's staff. It easily snapped in half. He then followed up with a punch that connected with Bruce's cheek. The black-haired teen was sent to the ground and immediately flipped away and back onto his feet. He held onto his broken bo staff.

Bakugo landed in a crouch. "There. Now you won't be swinging that damn stick. It's time I-"

The blonde looked up to see Bruce already closing in on him. He ducked back just as his opponent swung the heated end of on bo segment. His red eyes followed the orange glow of the metal as it barely missed grazing the tip of his nose.

Bruce used the momentum of his swing to pivot around and landed a kick on his opponent. Bakugo grunted but held his ground. He threw an explosion that kicked up several bits of concrete. Bruce was blown back, and he used his arms to shield his face from the attack.

The two stared at each other as the smoke settled. Bakugo breathed heavily as he glared at Bruce who stood tall despite the singe marks on his arms and clothes. He was still holding the parts of his bo staff, making sure to keep the still glowing ends away from him.

"Your plan to get rid of my weapon was clever; I'll give you that." Bruce lowered his arms. "However, that's some serious shortsightedness on your part if you think breaking it would put me in a severe disadvantage." He rested one stick on his shoulder while spinning the other one in his hand. "A useful trait for anyone, but especially a hero, to have is adaptivity. If you fall apart when a plan starts going wrong, you've basically condemned yourself to failure. The plan isn't over yet, so there is still a chance to pull through and succeed." Bruce stopped spinning the stick and held it in front of him.

"They might be longer than average, but these should suffice as escrima sticks."

With that, he took off towards Bakugo, his newly dubbed "escrima sticks" by his sides. Once he got in close, he swung hit after hit at the blonde. Whenever the teen managed to block on strike, he would just get struck by the other.

* * *

"Wow! Bakugo just can't catch a break! Wayne is absolutely relentless!" Present Mic announced. While the crowds vibrated with awe, Aizawa and McNider focused on Bruce's fighting style.

"That martial art… is that Kali?" asked Dr. Mid-Nite. "Yes." Aizawa answered, "Though I trained weaponless, it's no surprise he can easily adapt to being armed." He watched as his two students fought. His old classmate hummed in thought. "It is impressive that Wayne can easily switch from long-range to close combat. Moreso is the amount of fighting styles he has demonstrated during this." Shota smiled under his bandages. "He is a quick learner. Every time I told him I would be teaching a new martial art, he would go research about it and train by himself. By the time I started, I really just had to work out some inadequacies." The man leaned back in his seat. "Of course, he still has a long way to go before he's mastered any of them." Dr. Mid-Nite leaned in a bit towards the match. "I can see that. But he is still quite skilled for a novice."

Present Mic turned to his friends and grinned. "Hey, hey! Shota! Charlie! You dads can gush about your kid later! Though I won't deny it's downright adorable!"

The two other men immediately glared at him. "Shut up, Hizashi," Aizawa growled. "Don't call me "Charlie", Yamada," McNider demanded, "I'll surgically remove your vocal cords." Mic dramatically fell back into his chair. "Ah! So cold! Come on, McNider! We've known each other since our U.A. days! Weren't we good friends then and now?" he asked as he made finger-guns at the 0-JL teacher. The pro hero stared a bit before returning his attention to the fight. "Yes, unfortunately."

Yagi watched the fight, thoroughly impressed. _Young Wayne truly is frightening. Though Young Bakugo has issues with his personality, his Quirk is no laughing matter. Yet Wayne is dominating the fight despite being Quirkless!_ He paused in his thinking and turned his head to where Deku was sitting with his class. _Quirkless… just like Young Midoriya was… and me..._ He turned back to watch. _Could either of us have been in his position if we remained that way?_

* * *

Class 1-B had always been second best to Class 1-A since U.A.'s beginning. The rivalry had only strengthened with the years. The first-years of 1-B were prepared to topple their greatest foe in the school. Only this year a new challenger entered. Class 0-JL had never existed before now, making it the first time there were three first-year hero course classes in U.A.. 1-B had overlooked it as the new kid on the block which proved to be a mistake. Several 0-JL students passed the obstacle course, knocking out a majority of 1-B. That caused a new sense of rivalry to spark. After the cavalry battle, the spark ignited into a blaze. They weren't going to let themselves fall to third place! But… as they watched 0-JL students advance through the fighting tournament, the blaze lost some of its fury, dampened by a gnawing feeling of dread and coldness.

"Class 0-JL… is quite talented," Kaibara observed apprehensively. "Yeah," Hiryu quietly agreed, "Kinda glad I never got the chance to fight any of them." "Hey, don't talk like that! Their little win streak here is just some beginner's luck! Those 0-JL jerks are nothing to be scared of!" exclaimed Tetsutetsu. Shiozaki turned to him. "It isn't good to lie," she said. Her classmate quickly turned to her and said, "I'm not lying! I'm not scared of them!" She asked, "Then why are you trembling?" Tetsutetsu immediately returned his attention to the fight. "I'm trembling out of excitement! That's all!" Shiozaki just sighed and shook her head.

Neito leaned back in his seat. "That's the right idea, Tetsutetsu. Once we get our next chance, we'll topple Class 0-JL along with 1-A. A shame we couldn't put them in their place now." Tsuburaba whirled towards him with wide eyes. "Seriously Monoma? You'd want to fight _that_!?" he exclaimed as he pointed at Bruce brutally kneeing Bakugo in the chin. The corner of Neito's smile twitched a bit and sweat beaded on his forehead. He quickly dismissed his classmate. "Even an inexperienced individual like me wouldn't bother with someone who has a useless Quirk." Many of his classmates easily saw through his facade and could see the effect Bruce had on him. Awase sighed and stared longingly at the black-haired teen. _I wish he was in our class._

* * *

Bakugo fired another explosion that forced Bruce to jump back. Both of them panted in exhaustion. Bakugo because he had to endure so many hits, and Bruce because no matter how many attacks he landed, his opponent didn't fall.

 _He's an arrogant jerk… but he is persistent._

Katsuki glanced at his bruised arms. They ached deeply. He swore under his breath. _I'll show him what happens when some extra thinks he can be No. 1!_ A sneer grew on his face. "Know your place, Quirkless trash!"

Bruce saw the smile and immediately tensed his stance. _What are you planning?_

Bakugo ran towards the other teen and used his Quirk to rocket into the air. He then used his explosions to propel himself in a circular motion. Bruce's eyes widened as a tornado of smoke with Katsuki in the middle headed straight for him.

 _He's using the tornado to collect oxygen and build up momentum. He's going to ignite it all!_

"Howitzer…"

 _I can't dodge it!_

"... Impact!"

The sheer heat and pressure hit first before the explosion engulfed Bruce and half the stage.

The shockwave was felt throughout the stadium. Bruce's friends, including J'onn who was still outside watching the jumbotron, stared with their jaws dropped. Their classmates were utterly silent. Despite their confidence in their classmate, there was just no way…

"B-Bakugo unleashed an absolutely huge blast! He's like a human projectile!" exclaimed Yamada. Dr. Mid-Nite snuck a glance at Aizawa. The other teacher was tense.

Class 1-A sat in shock. The biggest explosion they had ever seen Katsuki make was during his battle trial against Deku. And he had his Grenadier Bracer to help him with that.

Bakugo hit the ground and rolled a bit. When he came to a stop, he just lied on his front while panting. He struggled to push himself and managed to hold himself up on one knee. Though his head was hanging and his arms felt like they were about to fall off, he had a feral grin stretched out on his face.

"It took everything I had left… but I got him… I got that fucking Rich Boy…!"

"That was one hell of an attack."

Katsuki froze and slowly raised his head.

 _... No…_

He stared at the wall of smoke that was gradually fading. A silhouette eventually came into view.

 _No way..._

The smoke dissipated enough to reveal Bruce, his chest heaving, covered in soot and singe marks, and swaying on his feet. His uniform's edges were frayed and lingering smoke clung to him.

 _No… fucking… way!_

Katsuki glared at the other teen and gritted his teeth.

"How…? How the fuck are you still here!? You were supposed to be blown off the stage!"

Bruce's eyes narrowed, and he dropped what he was holding. He leaned heavily forward as he tried to get air back into his lungs. His arms hung by his sides like old ropes. That's when Bakugo noticed what his opponent had been holding. Two grapples. The smoke finally cleared up, and Katsuki could see the cables reached ahead to the edges of the stage. The hooks dug into the concrete and barely held on.

 _In the split second before the explosion… he managed to get those out and set them up!_

"Amazing! Wayne managed to literally hang in there and remain bounds! But he and Bakugo don't look like they're in the best of shape!" observed Present Mic.

Bruce slowly straightened up, his breathing beginning to even out. He made eye contact with the downed teen. He started to amble towards him.

"Don't come any fucking closer, Rich Boy! I'll kill you!" the blonde snarled as he raised his palms.

Surprisingly Bruce did. The teen's brow furrowed as he focused on the visible veins popping out on Bakugo's forearms and the strained agony on his face.

The silence was tense. Then in a flurry of movement, Bruce threw something at Katsuki. He wasn't able to move in time. The blonde yelled as a sharp pain shot through his hands. The projectiles continued to curve around him and embedded themselves in the stage. Bakugo turned his hands to see diagonal cuts across his palms. He glanced over his shoulder to see two bats in the concrete. He returned his attention forward at the sound of the rapid footsteps.

Bruce was rushing towards him. "Pretty sure it won't be a good idea to use your Quirk now! Not with those gashes!"

Bakugo snarled. "Shut up!" He held his hands up again.

The other teen's eyes widened when he saw a small spark. "Idiot!" With a burst of nearly all his remaining energy, he closed the distance between them and tackled the blonde.

Despite a struggle, Bruce managed to pin Katsuki on his front. He held his wrists down by his head and had his knee firmly placed on his opponent's lower back.

"Get the fuck off me!" Bakugo's vigor was temporarily reignited only to quickly fade. "No." Bruce tightened his hold. "You keep going, and your body's going to quit on you. Listen to it, you're done." Katsuki glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not done! Not yet! I'm not going to lose to a piece of Quirkless trash!"

Bruce's eyes narrowed. "There's no way you can use your Quirk now, and I highly doubt you'll be able to stand. This fight is over." Katsuki began flailing again which barely did anything. "Fuck you! You don't decide when this fight is over!"

"You're right. I believe that is Midnight's job," Bruce replied. The blonde under him stiffened, and he turned to look at the pro hero. "A fight is over when someone is either knocked out, knocked out of bounds, or immobilized, correct?"

Midnight nodded and directed her gaze at the restrained teen. "Bakugo, are you able to move?"

The teen laid completely still, but Bruce could feel him shaking. He didn't answer and just repeated, "Dammit, dammit, dammit…," into the concrete.

Bruce and Midnight stared at him for a bit before the woman announced, "Bakugo can no longer fight! Wayne moves on to the final round!" The audience burst into cheers and applause.

The black-haired teen sighed and carefully got off the blonde. Bakugo rolled over and sat up, his hair hiding his eyes.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…"

He looked up to glare at Bruce only to stare at the hand extended towards him. There was silence between the two.

"Do you need some help?"

" _Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you, Kacchan?"_

Bakugo immediately slapped the hand away. His slightly unfocused red eyes met Bruce's icy blue ones. The taller teenager just stared with his usual impassiveness.

"I don't need help from the likes of you!" he snapped. He struggled to stand up and even when he managed to, he swayed a bit. As he started to walk past Bruce, he faltered at his second step and his knees buckled. Bruce easily caught the deadweight in his arm.

He weakly glared at the unconscious teen. "Idiot. Learn your limits first. Then train to surpass them."

When the gurney robots arrived, he gently laid Katsuki down. He watched as the blonde was wheeled away. At that moment his exhaustion decided to hit him like a stack of bricks.

Bruce grunted as he staggered back a bit. He brought his hand to massage his temple.

 _I definitely need to see Recovery Girl._

He looked over to his class' stand. They were all cheering, and some flashed him thumbs-up. All except Clark. He just stared at Bruce with silent anticipation. And he returned it.

 _This is it. I won't hold back because you're my friend Kent. I'm going to be No. 1!_

* * *

 **You all know what's coming up next.**


End file.
